California Worker Awarded $11.7 for Injuries Sustained On-the-Job
MercuryNews.com reports that a California jury awarded worker David Travis more than $11.7 million for his injuries suffered during construction of a San Rafael, California hotel in 2007. After hitting his head multiple times while working, he was nearly paralyzed and now has lifelong neurological injuries. It was determined that the general contractor, Bison Builders, did not provide a safe work environment, and their negligence caused the man to suffer his injuries.
Building construction often results in serious injuries and even death. In 2008, 197 workers died that were in the building construction industry.
Mr. Travis was only 38-years-old when he was injured. In 2008, there were 1,084 workers killed who were between the ages of 35 and 44, which represented 21 percent of all worker fatalities that year. In California, there were 404 worker fatalities for that year, the second highest number of any state. Pennsylvania had 240 worker deaths in 2008.
According to the article, it sounds like this tragic construction accident could have been prevented. It is not clear why Bison Builders did not take the necessary precautions to keep their workplace or their employees safe. In many cases, employers try to cut costs by being lax on safety regulations, and unfortunately, it is the employees who suffer because of an employer’s negligence. When rules aren’t followed, the end result can be catastrophic, as in the case of Mr. Travis.
Safety regulations are in place to help prevent these types of tragedies from occurring, but unfortunately, rules are not always followed. It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure employees are aware of safety regulations and are trained in safety protocol.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspects work environments for hazards and provides resources on its website for workers to make use of if they believe their workplace is dangerous. If the agency does not catch a safety issue at a workplace before an injury occurs, this could be part of a work injury claim.
The Philadelphia work injury lawyers at Cherry Fieger & Marciano, LLP understand OSHA laws and know how to work with employers and their insurance companies following a workers’ compensation claim in Pennsylvania. Call our law office today for a free consultation about your workplace injury case.
