Mother sues Boyd Gaming

The mother of a worker killed at The Orleans casino in a sewer incident is suing Boyd Gaming.

Debra Koehler-Fergen is suing the company because supervisors ordered her son Travis Koehler and other workers to enter a confined space filled with noxious fumes at The Orleans on Feb. 2, 2007, the lawsuit says.

Koehler, 26, and another worker, Richard Luzier, 48, died in the incident. Another man, David Snow, was critically injured and was hospitalized for more than a month.

Koehler and Snow went into the space to save Luzier, who entered the sewer pit to open a clogged pipe. The lawsuit also names Steve Cooper and Tom Griffin, two supervisors.

The lawsuit alleges that Boyd Gaming intentionally and willfully ordered Koehler into a space that supervisors knew was potentially deadly. It alleges Boyd did not have safety protocols in place.

The state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the incident for six months and fined Boyd Gaming $185,000. Boyd Gaming agreed to revamp its safety protocols.

Family members disputed the investigation and fine.