Many Miami construction workers are injured or killed while erecting buildings. However, serious accidents can occur while a building is being knocked down as well. One man was recently killed when a silo toppled onto him during demolition.
The fatal construction accident happened on the afternoon of March 6 in Texas. There was a demolition crew from K&L Oil Field Demolition working on buildings at Venture Chemicals. The 43-year-old man and his crew were preparing to bring down a silo. The man, who was driving an excavator, was killed when the silo fell before he was ready.
Multiple fire departments and emergency responders arrived at the scene, but the man died before he could receive medical treatment. Nobody else was injured in the accident.
Construction is a dangerous industry. Whenever an employee dies in a workplace accident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration performs an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The agency will try to figure out why the silo toppled prematurely. If the employer was to blame due to some sort of negligence – such as lack of training – then it could be given a citation and forced to pay fines. In addition, the company could be held liable in civil court for the man’s death.
The man’s family could file a wrongful death claim and for workers’ compensation death benefits. Compensation from a wrongful death suit could pay for monetary damages such as funeral expenses. The man’s family could receive financial compensation for non-monetary damages as well. It will depend on the results of OHSA’s investigation, which could take as long as six months to complete.
Source: KYTX, “Tyler man killed in construction accident” No author given, Mar. 07, 2014
