A 32-year-old Pennsylvania man died while working on a sewer installation project on May 6. The construction accident occurred in Somerset County southeast of Pittsburgh. The construction work was part of a project to provide the small town of Ursina with its first sewer system.
The construction work involved lowering heavy concrete manhole forms into place with a crane. The man was injured at about 2:10 p.m. when he was pinned beneath one of these concrete forms after it fell. His fellow construction workers made concerted efforts to save him. They first used a crane to lift the concrete off of him before performing CPR.
The accident scene was attended by troopers from the Somerset barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police and paramedics. The emergency medical services personnel assumed control of the man’s medical treatment when they arrived on the scene, but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful. The Everett resident was pronounced dead about 90 minutes after the accident occurred. The accident will be investigated by representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The safety agency routinely becomes involved when fatal accidents happen in the workplace.
Construction workers often perform extremely hazardous work, and accidents are sometimes unavoidable. However, construction site injuries may also be the result of faulty equipment, insufficient training or lax oversight. An attorney with experience in workplace accidents may assist those injured on the job in several ways. They could help them with a workers’ compensation claim to recover their medical expenses and lost income and could also provide guidance with a Social Security disability claim.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Worker killed when concrete falls on him in Ursina“, May 06, 2014