A 33-year-old man who suffered a work injury at a construction site remains in a coma, according to his fiancée. The California man was one of the 10 construction workers who suffered a work injury on Oct. 9 when the 91 freeway on-ramp project they were working on collapsed suddenly. Although still in a coma, he has shown signs of recovery.
The Riverside man and father of two young boys was on a construction crew that was helping to lower the deck’s bridge into place when, unexpectedly, it fell around 16 inches. When it fell, it crumpled temporary supports that had been erected, which consequently struck the employees. The man’s femur, shoulder and neck were all broken, according to his fiancée.
However, one of the injuries that was most serious was to his brain, which shifted when the accident occurred. It is apparently moving back into place and, two weeks after his fiancée was told by a neurosurgeon that he might not survive, he opened his eyes for the first time. If his recuperation continues to progress, doctors will operate on the man’s femur shortly, his fiancée said.
Individuals who are employed in construction often acknowledge that their line of work comes with certain unavoidable hazards as well as an intrinsic higher risk of being involved in an accident. However, this fact does not diminish the rights of a California construction worker when he or she suffers a work injury. In fact, those who are injured in a construction accident may file a workers’ compensation claim in order to receive financial compensation for any financial hardships incurred because of the accident, including lost pay as well as present and future medical bills. They can begin this process by consulting an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.
Source: pe.com, “Corona: Comatose 91 construction worker shows positive signs“, Patrick O’Neill, Oct. 29, 2015