Fall from construction scaffolding kills 3, injures 1

Tennessee residents might be interested to learn about a fatal accident that took place at a construction site in North Carolina on March 23. The accident killed three workers in Raleigh who were using a mast climber scaffold while working on a building in Charter Square for a subcontractor called Associated Scaffolding. When a track on the scaffolding snapped off, the workers fell about 200 feet to the ground.

Following the accident, a 911 caller told the operator that the three men who had fallen were unresponsive, and he thought they were dead. However, a fourth man was found to have survived the accident with serious workplace injuries after falling onto a portable toilet. Although the 53-year-old man was barely responsive at the scene, he was still breathing. He was treated for his injuries at WakeMed Hospital and listed in fair condition.

Investigators with the State Department of Labor say that they do not know what caused the scaffold to break, and they may not have answers for six months. After the agency completes its review of the accident, it will release a formal report, and the subcontractor may be issued citations. According to reports, Associated Scaffolding has been issued two serious safety violations by OSHA over the last 10 years.

A fatal workplace accident like this often leaves family members of the decedent in a difficult situation both emotionally and financially. Family members of a worker who was killed on the job are entitled to claim workers’ compensation death benefits to help them to recover from the sudden loss of income.

Source: ABCNews, “Probe Into Fatal Construction Accident Could Take Months,” Michael Biesecker and Jonathan Drew, Mar. 24, 2015