CHICAGO (WBBM) — A wrongful death lawsuit was filed today in Cook County in the death of a Chicago area baggage handler.

John Bruce, 64, died nearly 14 months ago in Kuwait while working for United Airlines, which was shuttling American troops to the Middle East.

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According to the suit, an employee of CAV International moved the luggage conveyor belt while Bruce was on it, and Bruce fell to the ground and onto his head. CAV and Boeing are among the companies named in the lawsuit.

His widow’s attorney, Tim Cavanagh, says Bruce spent time in Kuwaiti hospitals before being flown back to the United States and a Chicago area hospital where he died six days later.

Cavanagh says that, had the CAV International worker been paying attention and had not become “distracted … he would have seen Bruce was on the belt loader and he wouldn’t have hit a button that collapsed some arm rails and moved that caused John to fall.”

An attorney for CAV International did not want to comment.

John Bruce’s widow, Patty, is suing for more than $50,000.