Walmart Canada charged in teen's death

GRAND FALLS, New Brunswick, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Walmart Canada is facing 11 workplace safety violation charges in New Brunswick related to a 17-year-old worker's electrocution death in January.

The retail giant and one of its supervisors will appear in court in Grand Falls Jan. 10 after being charged by the provincial occupational health and safety agency WorkSafe NB, The Telegraph-Journal reported.

High school student Patrick Desjardins was using an electric industrial floor buffer in the store's automotive area Jan. 5 when he was electrocuted. The initial police report said the extension cord attached to the buffer was defective.

Walmart and the boy's family reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum, the report said.

The retailer faces eight charges while supervisor Denis Morin faces three. Each count carries a maximum $250,000 fine, the report said.