Investigation by 3News: Family of Cargill salt mine accident victim seeks justice

CLEVELAND — A routine maintenance check inside Cleveland’s Cargill salt mine turned deadly last November, leaving one veteran worker dead and his family desperate for answers.

Now, with newly released findings from federal investigators, the family of Greg Sychla is speaking out and questioning whether enough has been done to hold anyone accountable.

Sychla, a 10-year employee at the Cleveland mine, was killed the day before Thanksgiving. He had planned to call his twin brother, Jerry, after work.

“I was so angry with him,” Jerry recalled of that night, when his brother missed their planned conversation. “I didn’t know he was dead already.”

Instead, he received a call from Greg’s daughter, Joanna, sharing the devastating news. 

“I still hear their screams over the phone,” Joanna admitted, through tears. “I still hear their screams when I close my eyes at night.”

According to investigative documents obtained by 3News Investigates, Sychla was troubleshooting a malfunctioning salt crusher underground. After resetting a breaker, he was driving away in a utility vehicle when a 43-ton front-end loader struck him.

Sychla’s utility vehicle lacked a protective roof, and was crushed underneath the loader’s bucket. It’s unclear exactly what happened on impact, but the loader’s front tire ran over him, dragging his vehicle nearly 11 feet before the driver stopped — reportedly unaware of what happened until he saw Greg’s body.

“Why has this happened to him?” Jerry remembers thinking. “He was always cautious, he was always good.”

Despite the arrival of nearly 20 first responders that night, none were permitted inside the mine. Only Cargill’s internal rescue team initially responded, until they required assistance due to the traumatic nature of the scene. Eventually, Cleveland Division of Fire personnel were able to recover Greg’s body.

Instead of police involvement in the ensuing days, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration led the investigation. MSHA recently met with the Sychla family and released their findings, determining Cargill was at fault.

MSHA ultimately cited Cargill for failing to post proper signage and safety warnings in high-risk areas. The citation carried a maximum fine of $313,000.

“No sign! On the wall, wherever. No sign. This is ridiculous,” Jerry told 3News Investigates, shaking his head in disbelief. “This is not a tourist place. They are professionals!”

Despite the citations, there were no criminal referrals, lasting liability, or personal accountability.

“The lack of accountability is, I think, the worst,” Joanna stated.

The family says the loader’s driver never met with police and was fired after the investigation closed. No criminal charges were filed, and law enforcement has never evaluated the case.

“The best place to do some crime is a mine,” Jerry believes. “No police involved, no prosecutor involved, you can say you don’t want to talk to anybody. The best place to do the crime, intentionally or not!”

As time goes by, the Sychla family feels far from closure

Records show the loader’s bucket was raised 37 inches off the ground when Greg was killed, not fully lowered as mining best practices dictate. Investigators also found evidence of music and video devices in both vehicles, but could not confirm if either miner was distracted at the time of the collision.

“There’s no way he would risk his life, or someone else’s life,” Jerry insists. “That was his goal: safety.”

“He was principled. He had a work ethic,” Joanna agreed. “He always did things the right way, especially when it was his job.”

The family believes Greg’s death demands further investigation, pointing to unanswered questions about the loader’s bucket height, possible distractions, and operational awareness.

“This has a million questions about this that are unanswered,” Joanna said. “There’s a lot of blame that is there to go around, and nobody is looking into it.”

They have collected photos, diagrams, and 3D models, hoping to convince law enforcement to open a formal investigation.

“I just want justice,” Jerry said. “If a judge or prosecutor is going to say the guy is not guilty, and they explain it to me how that happened, I will accept that. But there’s got to be police and at least a prosecutor involved in this, and we will (get that).”

Greg Sychla was more than a miner — he was a Polish freedom fighter against communism who loved his second home in America, as well as a devoted husband and father.

“My dad was my hero,” Joanna said.

Now, his family is seeking closure they feel has been denied.

“He was the best person in the world. He was always caring,” Jerry said. “I owe him the proper investigation. I want to know how he died.”

3News Investigates reached out to Cargill to confirm that the loader driver involved in Greg’s death was terminated as a result of MSHA’s investigation, to ask if any procedural or safety changes were made in the aftermath, and to question whether or not Cargill would cooperate with a local law enforcement investigation.

Cargill responded with the following statement:

“At Cargill, we remain committed to sending each of our teammates home safely every day and continue to invest in process updates and physical changes to our site to ensure the safety of our team and our community.

“Cargill fully cooperated with MSHA during its investigation, which we understand was completed in April.”