Investigation into skid loader fatality found Iowa City company lacked workers’ comp insurance

IOWA CITY — After an employee was crushed by a skid loader in October 2024, the owners and managers of Hawkeye Waste Systems in Iowa City were charged this week for not having workers’ compensation insurance.

James Watts, 82, president and owner of Hawkeye Waste; Chris Watts, 30; Mary Sheen, 59; and Chris Dohrer, 43, are all charged by trial information with failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance, a Class D felony.

According to documents filed Wednesday, the defendants are accused of willfully and knowingly operating a business without obtaining workers’ compensation insurance as required by Iowa law.

Matthew Reuwsaat, 61, an employee at Hawkeye Waste Systems’ Johnson County location, 91 Commercial Dr. in Iowa City, suffered a severe head injury in a workplace accident on Oct. 31, 2024. He later died from his injuries Nov. 9, 2024, at University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City, according to court documents.

Reuwsaat was crushed by a skid loader, according to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration fatality data report.

An investigation by OSHA and the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation revealed Hawkeye Waste Systems did not have workers’ compensation insurance and has not been approved to be self-insured by the Iowa Insurance Division, the trial information states.

“Prioritizing public safety means holding employers accountable for providing basic protections for workers and their families as state law requires them to do,” Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith said Friday.

Arraignment for all defendants is set for May 19 in Johnson County District Court.

If all defendants are convicted, each face up to five years in prison.

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