A 20-year-old worker was killed when a robot at the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama restarted abruptly while she was inside a robotic station clearing a sensor fault on a stopped assembly line.
- Date of incident
- 2016-06-18
- Location
- Cusseta, Alabama, USA
- Sources
- 22
Established by a regulator or court document, linked below.
How the event developed
- 2016-12-14Fine
At the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama, 20-year-old Regina Allen a person entered a robotic station to clear a sensor fault when the assembly line stopped, and the robot restarted abruptly and crushed her to death.
cbsnews.com - 2016-12-15Report
a person, 20, was killed when a robot at the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama restarted abruptly while she was inside a robotic station clearing a sensor fault on a stopped assembly line.
torontosun.com - 2016-12-28Lawsuit
20-year-old Regina a person was crushed to death by a robot at the Ajin USA manufacturing plant in Cusseta, Alabama after the machine abruptly restarted while she was inside the operations area attempting to fix a sensor error.
cbs42.com - 2020-03-16Criminal charge
Docket No. 3:20-cr-00093 filed in District Court, M.D. Alabama: criminal case, United States v. Joon LLC. Case closed 2020-11-17.
courtlistener.com - 2020-11-09Fine
Auto-parts company fined $1.5 million after worker was killed by a robotic arm
miamiherald.com - 2023-03-09Follow-up
a person was crushed to death when a robot inside a robotic cell at Ajin USA's Cusseta, Alabama metal stamping plant restarted unexpectedly while she and co-workers were troubleshooting a sensor fault without following lockout/tagout procedures.
al.com
Every claim above traces to one of these
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- cbs42.comTwenty-year-old Regina Elsea was crushed to death inside a robotic welding station at the Ajin USA facility in Cusseta, Alabama, when the robot abruptly restarted while she and co-workers were clearing a sensor fault.2016-12-14copy 2026-10-21tier 2
- cbsnews.comAt the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama, 20-year-old Regina Allen Elsea entered a robotic station to clear a sensor fault when the assembly line stopped, and the robot restarted abruptly and crushed her to death.2016-12-14copy 2026-10-26tier 1
- torontosun.comRegina Allen Elsea, 20, was killed when a robot at the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama restarted abruptly while she was inside a robotic station clearing a sensor fault on a stopped assembly line.2016-12-15copy 2026-10-15tier 2
- wtvm.comA robot on the assembly line at Ajin USA's Cusseta, Alabama plant restarted abruptly while 20-year-old Regina Elsea and three co-workers were inside a robotic cell clearing a sensor fault, crushing her; she died the following day.2016-12-15copy 2026-10-30tier 2
- thesun.co.ukRegina Allen Elsea, 20, was crushed and killed at the Ajin USA plant in Alabama when a robot on the assembly line restarted abruptly while she was attempting to fix a faulty sensor.2016-12-16copy 2026-10-14tier 2
- thesun.ieRegina Allen Elsea, 20, was crushed and killed at the Ajin USA plant in Alabama when a robot on the assembly line restarted abruptly while she was attempting to fix a faulty sensor.2016-12-16copy 2026-11-01tier 2
- cbs42.com20-year-old Regina Elsea was crushed to death by a robot at the Ajin USA manufacturing plant in Cusseta, Alabama after the machine abruptly restarted while she was inside the operations area attempting to fix a sensor error.2016-12-28copy 2026-10-26tier 2
- al.comRegina Allen Elsea, a 20-year-old worker, was crushed to death when a robot unexpectedly restarted while she and three coworkers were inside a robotic station clearing a sensor at Ajin USA's auto parts plant in Cusseta, Alabama.2016-12-28copy 2026-10-30tier 2
- thedailybeast.comRegina Elsea, a 20-year-old worker at Ajin USA's auto parts plant in Cusseta, Alabama, was crushed to death when a robotic machine unexpectedly reactivated while she was inside the hazard zone attempting to clear a sensor fault.2017-01-03copy 2026-10-15tier 2
- wfmynews2.comLawsuit claims a defective robot at an auto factory killed a woman worker, with her husband seeking answers.2017-03-15no copytier 2
- news.com.auWorker killed in incident blamed on industrial robot.2017-03-15copy 2026-10-15tier 2
- wzzm13.comLawsuit claims a defective robot killed a factory worker, with human error also cited2017-03-15no copytier 2
- kiro7.comA worker was killed by a rogue robot, prompting her husband to sue the companies responsible for the automation.2017-03-16copy 2026-10-15tier 2
- courtlistener.comUnited States v. Joon LLC (INTERPRETER), District Court, M.D. Alabama, No. 3:20-cr-000932020-03-16no copytier 1
- al.comRegina Elsea, a 20-year-old worker at Ajin USA metal stamping plant in Chambers County, Alabama, was crushed to death on June 18, 2016, when a robotic arm started up while she was inside a machinery enclosure troubleshooting a sensor fault without following required lockout/tagout procedures.2020-11-09copy 2026-10-23tier 2
- miamiherald.comAuto-parts company fined $1.5 million after worker was killed by a robotic arm2020-11-09copy 2026-10-16tier 2
- dailymail.comRegina Elsea, 20, was killed at the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama when a robotic arm crushed her after she entered a cell to clear a sensor fault and the robot restarted abruptly; the company was later ordered to pay $1.5 million after admitting to federal safety violations.2020-11-10copy 2026-10-14tier 2
- metro.co.ukRegina Elsea, a 20-year-old worker at Ajin USA's metal stamping plant in Chambers County, Alabama, was crushed to death by a robotic arm after entering an equipment enclosure to fix a sensor fault while the machinery was still live.2020-11-10copy 2026-10-23tier 2
- wsws.orgRegina Elsea, a 20-year-old contract worker at Ajin USA's auto parts factory in Alabama, was crushed and killed by a robot arm that powered on while she was inside a machine enclosure without lockout/tagout procedures being followed.2020-11-16copy 2026-10-28tier 2
- al.comRegina Elsea was crushed to death when a robot inside a robotic cell at Ajin USA's Cusseta, Alabama metal stamping plant restarted unexpectedly while she and co-workers were troubleshooting a sensor fault without following lockout/tagout procedures.2023-03-09copy 2026-10-29tier 2
- miamiherald.comRobot crushes 20-year-old worker to death at Hyundai/Kia supplier facility2023-03-09copy 2026-10-28tier 2
- thestar.com.myA robot inside a robotic cell at AJIN USA's Cusseta, Alabama facility suddenly restarted and crushed 20-year-old Regina Elsea to death while she and co-workers were clearing a sensor fault on the assembly line.2023-03-10copy 2026-10-12tier 2
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