Lawsuit: Tapani Inc. negligent in accident that cost worker his lower leg

May 21-A man has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Battle Ground construction company Tapani Inc. after one of six 5,000-pound pipes he was delivering to a construction site fell off the truck and crushed his leg.

The driver, Raj Jaggi, filed the suit May 8 in Clark County Superior Court stemming from the 2023 incident that resulted in his leg being amputated.

The lawsuit alleges that Tapani crewmembers were responsible for ensuring the safety of the worksite and making sure Jaggi was "never within an area of danger," the complaint states.

Kevin Tapani, vice president and project director at Tapani, said in an email Thursday that the company couldn't comment on the pending litigation.

Jaggi arrived in May 2023 at a Tapani worksite in Wallula where Tapani employees started unloading the pipes with a forklift. Because Tapani didn't have a forklift able to lift three pipes at a time, workers cut a band securing three pipes together so they could unload two at a time, according to the complaint.

After the straps holding the pipes were cut, one remaining pipe from a trio was left sitting on top of the second trio of pipes, according to the complaint.

The complaint said the Tapani employee responsible for site safety then followed the forklift to a staging area, where the pipes would be unloaded.

Raggi then walked around the side of the truck to pick up metal banding and straps when the remaining pipe rolled off the trailer, throwing Jaggi to the ground on his elbow and shoulder and crushing his left leg, the complaint said.

The complaint said Raggi's leg had to be amputated below his knee, and his shoulder injury has left him with permanent pain and loss of function.

"No other Tapani employees were assigned to the unloading process, which would have allowed one employee to walk with the forklift to assist in the process of placing the unloaded pipes in the storage area and one employee to serve as a spotter to make sure that the worksite around the truck and trailer remained safe," the complaint said.

The complaint said Tapani and its employees were negligent and "failed to exercise reasonable care to maintain a safe worksite."

Jaggi is seeking economic and noneconomic damages for himself, his wife and his two adult children, as well as costs for attorneys' fees.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:53 PM.