Castro v. Central Alabama Asphalt and Construction, LLC et al

On March 26, 2026, Rafael Castro, a 34-year-old laborer, was killed at a Central Alabama Asphalt and Construction facility in Montgomery, Alabama. He was performing maintenance inside a hot-mix asphalt silo when it unexpectedly activated, engulfing him in material at over 300°F. The plaintiff alleges that the defendants disabled multiple safety interlocks to speed up production, failed to provide proper lockout/tagout equipment, and ignored prior complaints about malfunctioning sensors. The lawsuit, filed in Alabama state court, seeks compensatory and punitive damages for wrongful death, claiming gross negligence and wanton disregard for worker safety. Federal OSHA investigators cited the company for eight willful and serious violations, and the local district attorney reviewed potential criminal charges for industrial homicide. The case drew national attention to systemic safety failures in the road construction materials industry.

In May 2026, before a jury trial could commence, the parties reached a confidential settlement. Central Alabama Asphalt and Construction, LLC agreed to pay $6.8 million to the Castro family. As part of the agreement, the company admitted no liability but committed to implementing independent safety audits and enhanced worker training programs. The criminal review by the Montgomery County District Attorney was ongoing as of June 2026, with a grand jury consideration expected.

Whether the defendants' deliberate bypassing of safety mechanisms and failure to follow mandated lockout-tagout procedures constituted gross negligence sufficient for punitive damages; whether a parent company can be held liable for the acts of its subsidiary; and whether the site manager’s conduct rose to the level of criminal involuntary manslaughter under Alabama law.

The incident sparked widespread outrage over chronic safety shortcuts in the asphalt paving industry. State lawmakers introduced the "Castro Act," which would impose mandatory minimum fines and potential felony charges for employers who willfully disable safety devices. Several major highway contractors voluntarily reviewed their lockout procedures, and national unions renewed calls for stricter OSHA criminal enforcement, arguing that civil settlements alone fail to deter corporate misconduct that results in worker deaths.