A 45-year-old Florida man died in a construction accident on June 10. He was working on an underwater pipe when he became trapped and his coworkers were unable to save him.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the man was working for a Pompano Beach construction company. He was in a large, water-filled trench at a construction site near Bonaventure Boulevard and Indian Trace in Weston. Around 12:30 p.m., he dove into the water in order to work on a submerged pipe and he did not return to the surface. Some of his coworkers attempted to rescue him; first one and then another dove in, but neither was able to locate the man under the water.
On the third search attempt, his coworkers located the man and pulled him from the water. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after 1 p.m. Officials closed the road to traffic for several hours following the incident, which is under investigation by the BSO and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In cases involving construction accidents like this one, the family of the victim may file for death benefits via Florida’s workers’ compensation system.
Alternatively, the family of a deceased worker may seek compensation through the civil court system. A personal injury lawyer could help the family of the victim by reviewing the findings of OSHA and evaluating the family’s legal options. If the investigation indicates that the worker died because of negligence on the part the employer, for example, the family may choose to forgo the workers’ compensation claim in favor of a wrongful death claim.
Source: NBC Miami, “Worker Killed in Incident at Weston Construction Site“, June 10, 2014
