If a person’s manner of death is preventable, it would be difficult for the family to accept their loved one’s passing. Unfortunately, many cases of workplace fatalities result from preventable accidents, and sometimes negligence.
Take, for example, the recent on-the-job fatality in Florida in which a construction worker was crushed to death by an elevator. The worker’s family is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit in connection to the fatal workplace accident. According to the report, the 25-year-old worker was employed by a subcontractor, Miller’s Plumbing. The workers were on the job at the multi-story dormitory on Woodward Avenue on a Florida State University campus at the time of the accident. The victim was sitting in an open window talking with his coworkers. Suddenly the elevator came down, pulling him as a result. The worker was pulled in between a one-and-half inch space and the building. The three co-workers called the elevator operator to pull the elevator up but it was too late. The victim died as a result of crushing trauma in his torso. The Occupational Safety Health Administration has been informed about the workplace death.
The victim’s family recently filed a notice for their intent to file a wrongful death lawsuit worth $15 million. The plaintiff’s attorney alleged that Florida State University should have maintained the construction site safe from any hazard. The family also claimed that the employees, including the victim, were not properly informed and supervised about the dangers present in the site. The university should have been more cautious about taking extra measures for such hazards.
Workplace safety should always a priority among employers, subcontractors and property owners. Failure to protect workers from any form of hazard on the job can be considered as employer’s negligence. Negligence is an ultimate factor in helping families of fatal accident victims to obtain compensation.
Source: Tallahassee Democrat, “Family to sue FSU over son’s death“, Sean Rossman, Dec. 24, 2014
