Contractors’ Shoddy Work Killed|Their Son In Iraq, Parents Say

HOUSTON (CN) - Parents say their 23-year-old son was electrocuted in Iraq as he washed a Humvee, because Arkel International and KBR Technical Services failed to ground a generator properly. The parents of Sgt. Chris Everett say defendants received "numerous complaints by other military personnel that the generator was not properly grounded," and "falsely assured the troops that the problem had been fixed."

This is one of more than a dozen instances in which U.S. servicemen are believed to have been killed by shoddy electrical work by U.S. contractors. Congress has demanded an explanation, and the Pentagon says it has turned the matter over to its own Inspector General.

Sgt. Chris Everett was mobilized from the Army National Guard and assigned to the 56th Brigade Combat Team at Tallil Airbase in Iraq. He died of electrocution on Sept. 7, 2005, his parents say. They are represented by Michael Doyle with Doyle Raizner.

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