On May 18, a 59-year-old construction worker from Long Beach lost his life while working on an old railroad bridge in Riverside that was being demolished. The bridge was closed down for construction on Highway 91 during the road-widening job. The bridge collapsed, causing the worker to fall onto the freeway, according to a Caltrans spokesperson. She also stated that the reason for the railroad bridge demolition was the addition of two carpool lanes to the 91 Freeway. This was being accomplished via a new bridge that would be wide enough to have room for the expansion.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the bridge buckled and twisted under the man at approximately 3:15 a.m. as he was cutting part of it in half. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital at around 4 a.m.
The general contractor and sub-contractor on the $232 million job were fined by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The firms involved in the fatal accident are SEMA Construction from Colorado and Hard Rock Equipment Rentals from Corona. They received fines of $54,935 and $50,850 respectively, but both have filed an appeal in the matter.
When a worker loses his or her life in a workplace accident, there could be a family left behind to pick up the pieces. Often the family of the deceased worker does not quite know how to proceed to pursue compensation to help with their loved one's final expenses. In addition, they could also be suffering the loss of their primary provider of support. An attorney could help them with filing a workers compensation claim to help with those unexpected expenses and the shortfall in their household income.
Source: LA Times, 'One killed when Riverside bridge collapses onto 91 Freeway," Kate Mather, May 18, 2014
Source: The Fresno Bee, Worker death leads to fines for construction firms, January 01, 2015
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