Many employees in Las Vegas, as well as the rest of the country, work dangerous jobs in which accidents are not uncommon. Those who work in other, seemingly safer, professions might also get hurt at work. Many job-related accidents could have been prevented if certain safety measures had been enforced and observed.
There are many opportunities for workers to become injured at a construction site. Heavy equipment, electrical cables, working at heights and inattention to regulations are all factors that can contribute to an accident causing serious injuries or death. If it is determined that an accident occurred because of a company’s negligence or someone’s deliberate wrongdoing, the responsible party may be held liable in a personal injury case.
A series of storms a few years ago led to pipeline damage near Victorville, California, which prompted the Upper Narrows Pipeline Replacement Project. On June 24, a construction worker from Pahrump was operating a winch at a mountain tunneling site at the project. According to authorities, the winch broke free from its anchor. The winch and the 38-year-old worker fell across a pit, and the man was killed. Numerous agencies, including Cal-OSHA and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, are investigating to find out if negligence contributed to the accident.
Tragic workplace accidents such as this one can result in overwhelming hospital bills, not to mention funeral costs and lost wages. It would not be unreasonable for the man’s surviving family members to pursue a civil litigation case if evidence determines the accident was due to someone else’s negligence.
Source: The Press-Enterprise, “VICTORVILLE: Construction worker killed in winch accident is identified,” Brian Rokos, July 7, 2015
