Truck driver suffers serious injuries in construction accident

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has safety guidelines and regulations for almost every job. For that reason, most on-the-job injuries are preventable. The agency has launched a formal investigation into a construction accident in North Carolina to determine what caused one worker to be sent to the hospital with serious injuries.

An NC Department of Labor spokesperson says the incident occurred in Wilmington on a recent Wednesday morning. Reportedly, construction workers at a project at which culverts are being replaced were in the process of loading four drainage pipes onto a truck. For reasons yet to be determined, one of the massive pipes rolled off the flatbed truck. The 50-foot pipe struck the truck driver who was an employee of a different company.

The injured worker was transported to a regional medical center. The injuries he suffered were described as fractures to his leg and pelvis along with a compression fracture in his spine. OSHA investigators will determine the cause of the accident.

When a worker suffers injuries in a construction accident, he or she will be entitled to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and lost income. However, if the incident was caused by the negligence of another party who is not linked to the employer of the injured employee, there may be grounds for a third-party civil claim. A North Carolina attorney who is experienced in both workers’ compensation and personal injury law might be able to secure additional compensation by filing a third-party civil lawsuit against the other party.

Source: wect.com, “Pipe falls off truck, hits driver at road construction site“, Oct. 12, 2017