Rittenhouse Square Crane Accident Kills Operator
On October 12, a mobile crane working on a church steeple toppled near Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, killing the crane operator and injuring a woman standing nearby.
According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the orange aerial lift, working at the First Presbyterian Church at 21st and Walnut Streets, fell at about 1:15 p.m. that day. It knocked down a streetlight, sheared off a stoplight, and clipped the roof of a building on the north side of the street.
The crane operator was turning the machine when one wheel rolled over a cable access cover, the heavy lid gave way, the machine wobbled then fell. He was taken to a hospital, and was pronounced dead at 1:42 p.m.
The church had hired Masonry Preservation Group, of Merchantville, N.J. to perform a survey of the church’s stone exterior.
MPG does extensive work in Philadelphia on the maintenance and restoration of historic stone and masonry structures. It brought several of the truck-mounted cranes and set them up around the church.
According to article, the operator turned the crane, one of the four enormous wheels at the base rolled over a cable access panel. It started to tilt and it swayed out about 20 feet into the street. Then it swayed back towards the church. The second time it swung out, it toppled over.
The type of equipment involved in the accident, known as an AWP or aerial lift platform, is not technically considered a crane, and is not subject to the strict regulations put in place by Philadelphia last year.
The family of the crane operator would be well advised to contact an experienced Philadelphia worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing. An experienced attorney would also look into a “third party claim.” These are claims that are filed against parties that are not the worker’s employer. It could be a contractor, a sub-contractor, or even the manufacturer of a defective product. If it is determined that one of those parties was responsible for the accident and any injuries, then they could be held liable.
Any worker who has sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of their employment has a potential workers’ compensation claim. The injury can occur while traveling on business, doing a work-related errand, attending a required business-related social function, or even while on a break or using restroom facilities and you are still legally covered by workers compensation
The dedicated PA work injury lawyers at Cherry, Fieger, & Marciano will do everything possible to get the monetary compensation that is owed to you to help pay medical bills, physical therapy, loss of work and more.
The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Cherry, Fieger, & Marciano can also use their knowledge, their aptitude and their ability in pursuit of obtaining considerable damages for the woman who was injured in this crane accident.
Source article: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20091012_Crane_topples_at_Rittenhouse_Square.html?viewAll=y&c=y
