After solar panels fall while unloading, Washington man seeks damages from Canadian Solar

A Washington man is suing Canadian Solar after 24 solar panels, weighing roughly a ton, allegedly fell on him while he was unloading them at a hops farm in Yakima Valley in August 2023. Patrick Gibbons, along with his wife and his business, had purchased 155 Canadian Solar panels through a distributor to deliver and install at Puterbaugh Farms, which was building solar canopies over its crops. The panels had been shipped stacked vertically on pallets, and Gibbons claims Canadian Solar's own instructions called for a special "unpacking rack" to safely handle panels packed this way, but the company never provided one or warned him not to proceed without it. After removing seven panels without trouble, he says he heard a cracking sound and the remaining 24 panels, an estimated 1,900 pounds, fell on him.

Gibbons suffered serious injuries, including internal bleeding, a fractured pelvis and bladder damage, spent five days in intensive care, and needed surgery to install bone screws and a steel plate. His legal team hired a pallet and crate expert who concluded the wood and nails used in the shipping pallets were substandard, making the packaging unstable. Gibbons is seeking a jury trial and damages for medical costs, lost income, pain and emotional distress.

This case does not involve a home rooftop system, but it is a reminder that large solar installations, including panels used on farms or other properties, involve genuine weight and handling hazards during delivery and setup, not just during ongoing operation.