Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Lawyer Blog
A man who was killed in a construction accident in Taunton on Monday has officially been identified by the district attorney’s office. 48 year old Kevin Miranda was killed when the construction lift he had been working on flipped over at the St. Mary’s School where the labor was taking place.
Miranda was from Somerset and Portsmouth, Rhode Island and had been working for the Taunton based company Skyline Contracting and Roofing at the time of the accident. The company was in the middle of an inspection for the Fall River Diocese for a smokestack located behind a Catholic elementary school in that area. At the time the accident occurred, Kevin Miranda had been operating a construction lift that had been provided to the worksite via NES Rentals. The lift had been positioned on a slope located on the land boundary between the elementary school and the neighboring Morton Hospital. The lift that Kevin Miranda was working on tipped over, causing his death. The extent and nature of his injuries was not made immediately available. Initial reports also did not provide any details on how exactly the lift had tipped over.
Following reports of the accident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (OSHA) arrived on scene to begin an investigation into the accident. A spokesman for the company, Ted Fitzgerald, indicated that OSHA would be looking into possible evidence that would help them determine the cause of the accident. They are looking to determine if there were any workplace safety violations being committed that could have possibly led to the lift tipping over with Kevin Miranda inside of it. The company employing Miranda, Skyline Contracting and Roofing, has not provided comments on the matter at this time.
Spokesman Chris Bowers, for NES Rentals, the company that had supplied the lift to the Taunton worksite, provided a statement offering condolences to Kevin Miranda’s family for the tragedy that has taken place. “Our thoughts and our prayers are with the family, of course, of the affected individual.” He also indicated that his company was complying with the OSHA investigation and all other investigations being conducted by law enforcement officials at this time. Bowers went on to say that he did not feel it was appropriate to comment further on the investigation at the present moment.
OSHA regional spokesman Ted Fitzgerald has said that the Braintree branch of the company’s office was beginning the investigation into the matter and would include on-site inspections, record reviews, and interviews with workers in an effort to determine what events unfolded that lead to the death of Kevin Miranda. If the worksite was found to have violated any workplace safety guidelines in effect, they could face severe fines. Fitzgerald went on to say that it is currently too early in the investigation to decide when the inquiry into the accident could finish up. He said that because a worker suffered fatal injuries at the worksite, the conclusion of the investigation may come several weeks from now.
Comments from Kevin Miranda’s family and friends have not been released at this time. However, the Diocese in Fall River that had ordered the inspection from Skyline Contracting and Roofing has also offered their prayers and condolences to Miranda and his loved ones. “The Fall River Diocese offers its heartfelt prayers for the victim of this accident, as well as the victim’s family, friends and coworkers,” John Kearns was quoted as saying on behalf of the Fall River Diocese.
OSHA has placed many work safety guidelines into effect over the years in an effort to combat possible injuries from taking place. If the Taunton worksite where this horrific accident took place is found to have violated these guidelines in any way, they could face extreme fines from OSHA and a call to reform their safety standards for future workers.
Additional quotes and information may be found at the following link: http://www.wcvb.com/news/da-identifies-worker-killed-in-taunton-fall-as-48yearold-somerset-man/34787208
