Construction workers killed in 80-foot plunge from crane
Workers in the Denver construction business were undoubtedly saddened by the news of the deadly fall that took the lives of two colleagues northeast of San Francisco. The men were suspended on a platform held in the air by a crane when they plunged 80 feet.
The two men, 25 years old and 49 years old, were pronounced dead at the scene of the bridge construction accident. The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the tragic incident.
The accident happened shortly before 7 a.m. The owner of the construction firm for which the pair worked said the cable holding the rig did not snap, but he could not say why the men fell to their deaths.
An area news report noted that the crane holding the men aloft did not topple over.
At the time of the incident, workers were constructing the foundation for the new bridge that will replace a 102-year-old span.
OSHA says on its website that 806 construction workers died in accidents in 2012. More than a third of them (279) died in falls. Another 9.8 percent died after being struck by an object, 8.1 percent died of electrocution and 13 workers (1.6 percent) died after being caught in between or in objects.
Thousands more construction workers suffer injuries on their jobs. For those injured in Colorado, workers’ compensation will replace a portion of wages while covering medical costs. However, sometimes needed workers’ comp is denied. In those cases, the law allows employees to appeal the denial with the assistance of a workers’ compensation attorney.
Source: DailyDemocrat.com, “OSHA investigation into Winters bridge accident will take time,” June 6, 2014
