Someone getting run over by a steamroller is something you might expect to see in a cartoon, but there’s nothing funny about it if it happens in reality. Pennsylvania readers might find it hard to believe that such accidents could actually happen, considering how slow steamrollers tend to go, but they do.
Indeed, construction is one of the most hazardous jobs around, and road construction with its applications of hot asphalt and use of heavy equipment is no exception. And when a worker falls victim to a workplace accident involving a steamroller, it’s hard to imagine that he or she could survive. Count one Pennsylvania man lucky in that regard.
According to reports about his situation, the man was working on a road crew in Monroeville near Pittsburgh when it happened Friday, Aug. 30. Police say he was operating the steamroller, lost control of the machine somehow and became trapped when it rolled on top of him.
It’s not clear from the reports how long he was in this predicament, but eventually rescuers were able to pull him out. There’s no word on his exact condition, but officials say at last word he was conscious and was due to be airlifted to an appropriate facility for care.
Police confirm that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is sending investigators to the site to look into what happened.
Such accidents may be rare, but as this points out, they can happen. And the shortage of information regarding the extent of the injuries this man has suffered doesn’t diminish the fact that he likely faces a very long road to recovery. During that time, he will need all the support he can get, including that which should be available through workers’ compensation. Working with an attorney is one way to be sure he gets all the assistance that he and his family require.
Source: Post-Gazette.com, “Man freed after being trapped under asphalt roller in Monroeville,” Annie Siebert, Aug. 30, 2013