Worker Fatally Injured On The Job During Fall From Bridge

Posted in Our Blog,Workplace Injuries on March 19, 2014

A Louisiana worker perished after falling off a bridge in Baton Rouge on March 9. The victim, a 36-year-old employee of a painting company, plunged onto the west bank levee beneath the Sunshine Bridge on that Sunday afternoon. Official reports show that the victim was fatally injured while working on a rehabilitation project funded by the Department of Transportation and Development.

Official reports show that the Ohio-based painting company for which the man had been working had been cited in the past for fall-related safety violations. North Star Painting had previously been slapped with a $1,250 fine after an inspection revealed serious problems with the company’s fall-protection systems. That fine was later reduced to $940 when the company corrected the serious violation.

Authorities say it is not clear whether the victim of the workplace injury accident was wearing a safety harness at the time of the incident. His fall occurred within sight of the company’s trailer offices on the site. The work accident victim was declared dead after he was taken to a local hospital.

Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have shut down painting and other rehabilitation efforts on the bridge until a full investigation can be completed. Workers are prohibited from performing work that would require them to use any type of tethering or fall protection. Workers at the site had been cleaning and rehabilitating the structure, which connects a major highway over the Mississippi River.

Workplace injury accident victims deserve compensation from the companies that have caused their wounds. A Louisiana attorney may be able to provide additional information for victims who are seeking workers’ compensation after a construction site accident. Victims may be able to recover financial damages for workers’ compensation claims related to their workplace accident.

Source: The Advocate, “Worker dies Sunday after fall from bridge scaffolding to levee” David J. Mitchell, Mar. 13, 2014