OSHA is in the process of investigating a work injury that occurred on an out-of-state construction site recently. The accident occurred when a wall collapsed, crushing a worker. When similar accidents that result in a work injury occur in California, the construction worker is legally entitled to file a workers’ compensation claim.
The accident happened on a recent Tuesday morning in December, fire officials said. The worker, a 36-year-old man, was working while standing on a scissor lift that was elevated several feet in the air. The man was dismantling a cinder block wall when part of the wall collapsed and fell on the man. The blocks were estimated to have weighed hundreds of pounds, a fire official said.
The lift had been lowered and the rubble of the collapsed wall was already removed when rescue crews arrived. The man was still lying on the lift, but was unconscious. He was rushed via helicopter to a local medical center in Boston. His current condition has yet to be released, officials say.
The investigation to determine what exactly went wrong may take some time and, meanwhile, the construction worker may be amassing a large amount of medical bills as well as lost pay. Fortunately, when workers in California suffer a work injury, they typically file for workers’ compensation benefits, which, when successfully filed, can be used to alleviate some of the financial setbacks often incurred by construction accident victims. Many workers begin this process by consulting with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.
Source: The Boston Globe, “Part of wall falls on man at Stoughton construction site“, Sarah Roberts Globe, Dec. 22, 2015