Wrongful Death

One worker was killed and another injured in a recent crane collapse in Oklahoma City. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the coroner’s office are investigating the July 23 accident and say it could take over a month to determine the cause.

Meanwhile, the family of 33-year-old ironworker Joshua Dawe has filed a wrongful death lawsuit again Johnston Contractors, Inc. Dawe was in the basket of an aerial lift when the crane’s boom collapsed onto the baset, killing his instantly. His family is seeking over $50,000 in damages. John Contractors, Inc. was in charge of coordinating and inspecting work at the construction site, but the company claimed it does not own, operate, or maintain the crane or aerial lift.

Attorneys for Dawe’s estate had until yesterday to inspect the site of the accident. The Country Associate Judge has issued an order preventing OSHA from altering or repairing the crane and a 4-foot boom cable. However, work may continue in other areas of the construction project.

Health researchers in Massachusetts and New Jersey discovered that Latinos have the highest rate of death from on-the-job injuries, according to a study published in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Report on June 5. A third of those deaths occurred in the construction industry. In recent years, the most common causes of death for workers were falls and highway-related accidents.

One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that Latinos tend to work in high-risk industries as compared to other ethnic groups. However, language barriers and lack of training or supervision may also play a role.

The researchers calculated that the the annual death rate for Latino workers in 2006 was 5 per 100,000. That number was evening higher for Latino immigrants: 6 per 100,000 Caucasian workers had a rate of 4 per 100,000 and for African-Americans, that number was 3.7.

Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

Ironworker’s Family Files Wrongful Death Suit After Fatal Crane Collapse

Deaths Resulting from Work Injuries Highest Among Latino Workers