SEWER CONSTRUCTION WORKER CRUSHED BY CONCRETE IN FATAL ACCIDENT

May 14, 2014
dhdlaw

State police in Ursina, Pennsylvania, say that a 32-year-old man died after suffering injuries during a workplace accident while helping to install a sewer system in southwest Pennsylvania. The accident happened on May 6 around 2:10 p.m. in Somerset County, after the victim became pinned underneath a large concrete manhole form.

Troopers from the Somerset barracks responded to the tiny borough, which is roughly 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They say that the victim’s co-workers attempted to save their fallen colleague by using a crane to lift the heavy concrete object off of him, while others performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Unfortunately, their efforts failed and the victim died approximately 90 minutes after the accident.

It remains unclear which construction company the man worked for, but it was established that it was the first time that the installation of a sewer system had ever been attempted in the small town. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also responded to the accident and an investigation was started as part of their normal procedures whenever a fatal accident happens in the workplace.

The loss of this man is regrettable and every effort should be made to prevent this type of accident in the future. With that said, the victim’s family should also know that they may be entitled to recover compensation if it can be established that a preventable accident caused the man’s wrongful death. The family members may want to consult first with a legal professional experienced in these types of claims. Although no outcome can be predicted, it is possible that the family may be able to sue the construction company for the loss of the man’s companionship and for the wages that he might have earned throughout the course of his lifetime had he survived.

Source: WHTM ABC 27, “Worker killed in Pennsylvania sewer construction” No author given, May. 06, 2014