Families of four of the six workers killed last year in a grain-dust explosion in Atchison, Kan., have filed wrongful-death suits in Jackson County Circuit Court.

The lawsuits come a month after Bartlett Grain Co. LP announced plans to create a memorial in Atchison for the six men. That plan, in turn, has drawn strong criticism from one victim’s family, who called the idea a public relations ploy.

“As an alternative to Bartlett spending monies to erect a memorial, it would be our recommendation that Bartlett invest in an extensive safety program designed to prevent another tragedy,” wrote Zoe and Kevin Bock in a response to the plan. They are the mother and stepfather of Chad Roberts, 20, who died in the explosion.

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