Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

Last week, a construction accident claimed the life of a Georgia machinery operator. The man was operating a bob-cat at a high school construction site when he was hit and killed by the machine’s boom.

According to reports, the worker was partially out of the bob-cat when it killed him. He had apparently climbed out of the front of the driver’s seat to adjust the machine or remove some debris when he caused the raised shovel arm to drop, pinning him head to the steel cage. The construction accident victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by the coroner.

Sheriff’s deputies and investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the fatal construction accident.

Source: One Killed In Construction Accident At High School, CBSAtlanta.com, April 21, 2010
Douglas County construction worker crushed to death, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, April 21, 2010 Continue reading

Last week, a trench collapse killed a 56-year-old worker in Hudson, Ohio. The workplace accident also injured a 58-year-old worker who remained in serious condition at a local hospital.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the 15-foot-deep trench was unsafe and lacked safety protections in the area where the two workers were digging a sewer line at the time of the collapse. According to OSHA, trenches of that depth should be protected by sloping the walls or strengthening the sides with a shield or shoring materials to prevent a collapse.

OSHA is continuing to investigate the cause of the fatal construction accident.

Source: OSHA: Hudson trench lacked basic safety protections, Vindy.com, April 9, 2010 Continue reading

Earlier this week, at least 25 workers died in an accident at a coal mine owned by Massey Energy, the country’s fourth largest coal company and the single largest coal producer in Central Appalachia. While the company’s website boasts that it has a safety record above the industry average, the Washington Post reports that the company has a history of safety violations, including roughly 50 citations last month alone.

The United States Mine Safety and Health Administration reportedly fined the company for a laundry list of safety hazards, including failure to maintain proper escape ways, the accumulation of combustible materials, and poor ventilation of dust and methane. MSHA records show that a miner died in an electrical accident in 2003 and another died in a 2001 roof fall.

Federal records show that from 2005 through Monday, the company had amassed 1,342 safety violations with a total of $1.89 million in proposed fines. Companies are permitted to contest such violations. According to federal officials, the company has contested about a third of the violations with over a million dollars in associated penalties.

Source: Massey Energy has litany of critics, violations, Washinton Post, April 6, 2010 Continue reading

On Tuesday morning, a contractor died in a scaffolding accident. According to police, the construction accident occurred around 11am after the scaffolding collapsed, causing the man to suffer massive head and body trauma that led to his death. He was reportedly installing a fourth floor window in a residential building when he fell.

The injured contractor was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The local newspaper reports that another man was injured by the scaffolding collapse, but his name and condition were not released.

Construction sites present numerous hazards to workers, including on-site explosions, defective tools, fires, falling objects, crane or scaffolding accidents, and other dangers. The repercussions of these accidents can be life-altering and may lead to long-term disability or casualties.

Source: Cullman man dies in construction accident, Cullman Times, March 23, 2010 Continue reading

Last year, a firetruck crash killed a Boston firefighter when Ladder 26 lost its brakes, lurched down a hill, and hit a Mission Hill apartment building. A report released earlier this week says the driving accident was the result of improper driver training and flawed brake adjustments by firefighters who had not been trained as mechanics.

Since the fatal accident and the investigation that followed, the fire department has hired licensed mechanics to service trucks and has created a preventive maintenance program. Mayor Menino and the fire commissioner support these safety measures, and Menino had initially ordered that licensed mechanics work on trucks rather than uniformed firefighters.

However, the report from earlier this week recommends that uniformed firefighters receive training and return to servicing the firetrucks. The debate continues, as critics argue that the panel was advancing a union agenda rather than putting safety first.

Source: Firetruck brakes faulted for crash, Boston Globe, March 9, 2010 Continue reading

Our Massachusetts wrongful death lawyers have learned that a construction worker died on Friday afternoon when the walls of a 6-foot-deep trench collapsed and pushed him into the sewer main, killing him instantly.

The 25-year-old was working to install a storm sewer line roughly 10 feet underground when the construction accident occurred in the town of Alamo, Texas. Reports say there were four other construction workers nearby at the time.

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will examine the site of the construction accident to determine if any safety mandates were violated.

Source: Man dies in Alamo construction accident, The Monitor, March 5, 2010 Continue reading

The Boston Globe reports that a construction worker was pronounced dead yesterday at the scene of an accident on Route 3 in Chelmsford. A driver hit two men at a cleanup site along the northbound lanes. The workmen were part of a crew cleaning up a fuel spill that occurred last week.

In addition to one fatality, another worker was seriously injured and the driver suffered serious injuries in the auto accident. The worker was taken by medical helicopter to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and the driver was transported to Lahey Clinic in Burlington. In order for the medical helicopter to land, authorities closed the road in both directions. They reopened the southbound lanes at 11:15am.

The names of the car accident victims were not released by Massachusetts police.

Source: One killed in crash on Route 3 in Chelmsford, Boston Globe, December 1, 2009 Continue reading

Last Tuesday morning, an accident involving a gravel truck killed a 54-year-old construction worker. Police say the worker died at the scene of the construction accident after the gravel truck accidentally drove over him.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the fatal accident.

In addition to motor vehicle accidents, construction workers face a number of other hazards on the job, including crane collapses, welding accidents, on-site explosions, fires, defective construction tools, and electrical shock. These types of accidents can result in serious injuries such as brain damage, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, and severed limbs.

Sources: Fatal accident at Enbridge oil site north of Crookston: Driver, victim identified, Crookston Daily News, November 25, 2009
One killed in construction accident north of Crookston, Osakis Review, November 25, 2009 Continue reading

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that New England recorded fewer work-related deaths last year. They attribute this trend partly to the recession. Final statistics will be released in April, but preliminary data for Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire showed only 136 workplace deaths in 2008, as opposed to 163 in 2007.

In Massachusetts, 61 workers died last year compared to 75 the previous year. Forty-five of those workplace fatalities were white, non-Hispanics. Thirty percent of those deaths were transportation accidents. Falls were the cause of death behind fifteen of those fatalities and ten workers died as a result of exposure to harmful substances or environment. Eight workers died as a result of violent assaults or self-inflicted injuries.

The majority of workers killed in New England last year were men between the ages of 25 and 64. For the purposes of this report, workers must have been engaged in a legal work activity or present as a requirement of this job. The report does not include deaths that occur while commuting.

Source: Feds Report Fewer Workplace Deaths in New England, InsuranceJournal.com, November 23, 2009 Continue reading

Earlier this year, a worker died after he became caught in the moving parts of an industrial ice-making machine. The machine activated as the worker performed maintenance work inside it. When officials from Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the New Bedford company, a seafood processor, they discovered 23 alleged safety violations.

Following the fatal machinery accident, the company received 19 serious citations and four other-than-serious hazards. OSHA found that the company’s seafood processing plant did not have specific steps and procedures to power down and lock out the ice machine’s power source before workers entered it.

Investigators also found that employees were not trained to deal with the hazard of the machine’s operating without warning. The plant was also missing a program to train employees to work in confined spaces such as the ice machine. OSHA regulations aimed at preventing serious injuries require that machinery be powered down and power sources locked out before employees enter the machine to perform maintenance.

The combined proposed penalties total $66,800.

Source: Seafood Processor Cited for Worker’s Death in Ice Machine, OHSonline.com, November 9, 2009 Continue reading

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