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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Bear Creek man suffered an agonizing death last year when he was &#8220;essentially ground up&#8221; in a rig-mounted drill, according to a lawsuit filed by his parents.</p><p>Gabriel Seeman, 39, was obtaining soil samples at a construction site in Northampton County for Wilkes-Barre-based Heller Drilling Company on Dec. 9 when the Dietrich D-50 drill he was using caught him, causing one of his legs to become entangled in the auger while severing the other, the lawsuit says.</p><p>Seeman was left to &#8220;flop on the drill &#8230; spinning and hitting the truck,&#8221; according to the lawsuit, filed in Luzerne County Court last month on behalf of James and Kathy Seeman of Wilkes-Barre. Drillers who heard Gabriel Seeman&#8217;s screams hurried to his aid but struggled to find an easily accessible cut-off switch or safety barrier, the lawsuit alleges.</p><p>Seeman &#8220;endured a long and painful death as he was essentially ground up in the drill,&#8221; Philadelphia-based attorney Matt Casey wrote in the lawsuit.</p><p>Seeman&#8217;s death could have been avoided had it not been for the negligence of the defendants, said Casey.</p><p>&#8220;We look forward to having a Luzerne County jury render judgment in this case,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;Appropriate product and workplace safety would have prevented this unspeakable tragedy.&#8221;</p><p>Heller Drilling Co., drill-maker Dietrich, site developer Rockefeller Group and parties associated with the companies are named as defendants in the suit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages. Among other claims, the suit alleges Dietrich breached its duty to develop and sell safe products.</p><p>Representatives who answered the phone at Heller and Dietrich&#8217;s Indiana-based headquarters declined comment. A message left at Rockefeller&#8217;s New York offices was not immediately returned.</p><p>Seeman was born in Kingston and attended Meyers High School and Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational Technical School, according to his obituary. His loved ones called the impression he left on them a &#8220;Touch of Gabe.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;He had a heart of gold and was there for everyone, even strangers,&#8221; his obituary stated. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t hesitate for a second to buy a homeless person a meal, help an elderly woman pump gas or put air in her tires, or give a man broken down on the highway a ride to his door in Hazleton from Wilkes-Barre.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Seeman </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_thumbnail_03692527-644a-4ecf-93fa-283d412fa282-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Seeman </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Long and painful death’ endured by Bear Creek man killed by drill, lawsuit says