A Florida man lost his life in a Hallandale Beach accident while working at a construction site. The construction accident occurred on June 12 when a crane fell over on top of the employee.
According to the city manager, the employee was working on constructing a sea wall before the crane fell over at about 9:45 a.m. The Hallandale Beach police captain said that the crane wobbled slightly before the accident. When the construction workers noticed this, they began running away from the crane. The man who was killed was part of the group that was running away, but he did not make it out in time. The operator of the crane and the boom operator each said that they would consent to a blood test. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is currently investigating the accident, but findings have not yet been released.
A neighbor who lives near the area where the crane fell over reported to the media that he was afraid that recent rain and muddy conditions could cause the crane to fall over. In addition to the damage at the construction site, the crane caused damage to a house owned next door to the site where a doctor resides.
Construction sites are common locations for workplace accidents. Defective power tools or faulty equipment may be to blame for accidents of this nature. Construction workers do not need to prove that a negligent party or a defective item was involved in order to recover benefits from a workers’ compensation claim. However, because many construction workers are independent contractors and thus not covered by workers’ compensation, this information would be necessary to successfully pursue a personal injury claim.
Source: Local10.com, “1 killed in Hallandale Beach crane accident“, Amanda Batchelor, Peter Burke, and John Turchin, June 13, 2014
