Georgia Injury Law Blog
There has been yet another construction worker death linked to a trench collapse accident in Georgia. These types of construction accidents often result in the wrongful death of the worker or serious injuries. Unfortunately, workers compensation benefits fail to truly compensate the family of the worker since the workers comp statute provides for such a limited payment for the death of the construction worker. One of the things that Georgia needs to revise is the death benefit provided under the workers compensation laws for a worker’s family. Of course, the family may or may not have an injury claim, but that will depend on whether any third party may be held liable for the workers’ wrongful death.
According to authorities in Forsyth County, the man from Covington, Newton County was working in a trench when the walls begin to collapse. Personnel from the Forsyth County Fire Department rushed to the scene, but by the time rescue crews arrived, the man had been completely buried under the soil.
The crews managed to clear the soil from his head and shoulders, but by then, the man has succumbed to his injuries. At the time of his death, it had been more than one hour since the collapse. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun an investigation into the construction accident.
It’s 2011, and there’s no earthly reason why construction workers should be buried in a trench collapse. There are no details about this particular accident here, but in most of the trench collapses that Atlanta construction accident lawyers come across, the biggest cause of the collapse is a failure to shore the trench walls, to make them stable and prevent a collapse.
Unfortunately, trench shoring can be expensive, and very often contractors, supervisors and construction companies simply bypass these regulations, creating fertile conditions for collapse. Trench collapses are typically some of the deadliest construction accidents, because the damage is done so fast. The soil that is pouring into the trench can cover a man, and completely trap him underneath, before workers can get to him.Death is usually by asphyxiation.
Besides, rescue efforts may be painfully slow to really help the worker. Fire crews and other emergency personnel must work really slowly to clear the soil from the worker, without triggering another, possibly even more catastrophic, collapse.It’s the reason why rescue efforts in these accidents often turn into recovery efforts.