Death in Construction Accident
A West Virginia construction worker was needlessly killed recently while performing ground operations during the costruction of a strip-mall in West Virginia.
The project’s general contractor, Agsten Construction Co., employed the worker. The worker injured in the workplace accident was a carpenter when a 35-foot-long, 500-pound joist suspended by straps on a crane fell because the straps failed. The straps may not have been properly secured to the joist mechanism, which may have caused the strap failure.
Crane accidents are responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths every year, and are the one of the leading types of construction accidents which lead to worker injury.
The crane subcontractor, Kanawha Valley Construction and Erection Co. Inc. was cited for “serious” violations, including exposing employees to being struck or crushed by a falling bar joist, failure to remove from service a severely frayed sling used to lift bar joists, and failure to use padding that would prohibit a sling from easily being cut by a sharp bar joist edge. OSHA proposed a total of $4,000 in penalties.
Victims of construction accidents may be able to recover under workers compensation, and also might have claims against other culpable third parties. If you have been injured on the job, contact Jonah Flynn, a Georgia workplace accident attorney, to learn about your rights.
