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The tragic accident took place on the morning of Thursday, September 26th when, at the site of the old Bethlehem Martin Tower, a worker became pinned by hydraulic equipment.
The victim suffered severe injuries to his pelvis and abdomen in the incident; when he was finally freed, he was administered CPR. Emergency units transported the man to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, were he was pronounced dead just before noon.
Construction and cleanup crews had been working at the 1170 Eighth Ave construction site disposing of debris ever since the tower came down in May of this year. The project is expected to take up to a year to finish, with the site being considered dangerous right from the beginning. The entire property was fenced, and the public was even warned not to trespass as the remnants were unstable and hazardous.
The Bethlehem Police Department, as well as OSHA officials, are investigating the incident.
An experienced construction accident attorney and Legal Herald contributor, Laurence Banville of BanvilleLaw.com shared the following information which can be helpful to individuals who may have suffered construction injuries:
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA, is the federal body responsible for supervising and enforcing regulations which make the workplace a safe environment for all.
Some workplaces are much more dangerous than others, with construction work being one of the riskiest trades in the nation. In fact, many of OSHA’s standards of safety were established with the construction industry in mind.
The use of heavy machinery in construction is vital to construction projects, but it also puts the workers’ health at risk. For this reason, strict procedures and regulations are to be followed to ensure the safety of all on the worksite.
Unfortunately, these standards can be violated, often leading to grave injuries or death. These kinds of situations can then open the door to a lawsuit against a contractor, though this is not always the case. On the other hand, every worker has a right to file a worker’s compensation claim after a workplace injury.
A worker’s comp claim or a lawsuit can sound like a lot of trouble to go through. Yet, they are often the only way that a victim and their family can seek justice when their lives are flipped upside-down by an unexpected injury or death.”
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