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Construction workers’ accidents: Excavator rollover kills 1

Working along the busy highways of New York and surrounding states can be extremely hazardous. The risks that construction workers face were underscored in a recent fatal accident in a neighboring state. The death of a 60-year-old construction crew member who was working on an overpass was but one of the many fatalities in construction workers’ accidents that occur nationwide every year.

Reportedly, emergency departments received notice of a construction accident shortly before 1 p.m. on a recent Wednesday. State troopers arrived to find an excavator that had tipped over. The operator was apparently ejected from machine’s cab the when the excavator rolled onto its side, causing the boom to lean against the overpass.

Emergency workers rushed the victim to a medical facility, but he succumbed to his injuries later. His death was declared at the hospital. Along with the Chief Medical Examiner who will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of the worker’s death, the Construction Services Department’s inspectors, police and the State Fire Marshalls’ offices are assisting in the investigation.

As in other fatal construction workers’ accidents, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will likely launch an inquiry to determine whether the death followed noncompliance with safety regulations. While authorities try to determine whom to blame, the surviving family members of the excavator operator may struggle to cope with the unanticipated loss of income and the high costs of a funeral and burial. New York families in similar situations could find financial relief by filing death benefits claims with the workers’ compensation insurance system of the state.

Source: Glastonbury, CT Patch, “UPDATE: Worker Killed When Excavator Tips Over in East Hartford“, Chris Dehnel, March 23, 2017

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