A 29-year-old construction worker lost his life recently in Pennsylvania. He was working on a construction project that involved widening a Pennsylvania highway from two lanes to five.
While on the job he was struck down by a 2,000-pound concrete barrier. He suffered serious injuries as a result of the workplace accident. When emergency crews arrived on the scene, the worker went into cardiac arrest due to the trauma he had suffered. Rescue workers tried to revive him by using CPR, to no avail. He died at the hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained in the accident.
The details of what exactly caused this catastrophic accident are still under investigation. It may take some time to piece together what factors contributed to this tragic fatal accident. Sometimes, safety regulations promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are violated, which can leave workers susceptible to accidents such as this one.
The details are important to determine so that the construction company can figure out how to prevent another such fatal accident.
It may, however, turn out that safety regulations were followed, and that this was simply an accident that could not have been foreseen.
Whenever an employee is injured on the job, the victim may be entitled to collect under Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation laws. When a worker suffers a wrongful death, such as in this case, the family members who are left behind may have a claim for benefits as well.
Source: The Express-Times, “Construction worker hit by concrete barrier in Bethlehem succumbs to injuries, company says – UPDATE,” Sarah M. Wojcik, Sept. 5, 2012