Philadelphia Injury Lawyer Blog

A late afternoon explosion at a zinc smelting plant in Monaca, Pennsylvania last week killed two workers and sent a third worker to the hospital with serious personal injuries. The Pennsylvania construction accident at Horseheads Inc. was the latest and most serious in a long list of safety incidents at the plant. According U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) records, the agency issued 44 citations to the plant for alleged safety violations, 27 of them classified as "serious." Safety violations included missing guardrails, use of an unapproved safety platform, lack of protection barriers, and failure to properly track worker exposure to the toxic metals lead and cadmium. In 2006, another Horseheads worker suffered severe leg burns when he stepped into an uncovered pit of molten zinc. That construction accident cost the Pennsylvania company $186.750 in federal fines.

Every year, thousands of U.S. workers are killed or seriously injured in accidents at construction sites and industrial plants. Many personal injury accidents occur when OSHA safety regulations are ignored. Poor supervision, lack of communication, poor worker training, and use of defective machinery or tools also contribute to the number of personal injury accidents in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

When construction or industrial accidents occur, accident victims and their families are entitled to recover damages for hospital and medical expenses, lost earnings, permanent disability, emotional distress, destruction of property, physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and, should an accident victim die, loss of the love and companionship of their family member. Due to the complexity of construction and industrial accidents, victims and their families generally require the knowledge and assistance of an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney with proven expertise in handling construction accident cases.

According to Philadelphia personal injury attorney, Edith Pearce, despite advances in safety in automobiles and trucks, truck accidents continue to be a problem on Philadelphia and Pennsylvania roadways causing serious and sometimes fatal injuries. A Pennsylvania couple from Finleyville was killed Sunday while driving through Utah. Russell and Emelda Welsh, both in their 60s, died at the scene when a tractor-trailer driver lost control of his rig in a construction zone on I-15 near Pintura, Utah. Reportedly traveling at a high speed, the truck driver swerved into oncoming traffic lanes, crashing into the Welsh's Kia SUV head-on. Just two hours earlier, a Utah woman had been critically injured at the same construction zone. In that accident, the woman lost control of her vehicle after hitting a bump in the road and crashed into nearby construction equipment, injuring construction workers. A sign saying "Bump ahead" was posted immediately ahead of where both vehicles lost control. Utah police are investigating.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), highway work zone accidents killed 1,149 roadway workers in 2009, representing 9% of all deaths in the construction industries. Between 1995 and 2002, the latest figures available, 44 workers were killed at Pennsylvania road construction sites. And those figures do not include the thousands of motorists and truckers who die or are seriously injured every year in motor vehicle accidents that occur in roadway construction zones.

The increase in construction zone accidents has caused Pennsylvania and most other states to double traffic fines in construction zones as a deterrent to speeding and unsafe driving practices. Despite such precautions, the proximity of speeding cars to construction vehicles and workers creates the potential for dangerous accidents. Uneven road beds, poorly graded berm lanes, confusing markings, unmarked hazards and the distraction of construction activity can catch drivers unawares, resulting in tragedy as it did for a Pennsylvania couple in Utah this week.

Experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorneys can assist both injured construction workers and motorists who are involved in serious personal injury accidents in Pennsylvania construction zones.

Yesterday's powerful explosion of a U.S. Steel coke-oven in Clairton, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh seriously injured 20 workers, sending regional emergency crews rushing to the chaotic scene. Most of the injured workers suffered painful burns but at least 3 of the workers sustained severe, potentially life-altering injuries. The two most severely injured workers sustained serious chemical burns to their heads, necks, faces and airways. A spokesperson for West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh where the men are being treated said the inhalation injuries put these men at critical risk.

Another worker was hospitalized at West Penn with serious burns over his head, neck, face and hands and an ankle fracture. Five additional workers are being treated for serious burn injuries at another hospital.

The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m. yesterday when a full shift of workers was at their posts. About 1,500 people work at the plant. The explosion at U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works plunged the plant into darkness, sending debris flying through the air. The force of the explosion bent steel beams and crumbled thick block walls. The resulting fire raged into the afternoon. Bob Full, Allegheny County emergency services chief told the Associated Press, "It's a miracle that anybody even walked away from that."

Investigators from U.S. Steel and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the cause of the explosion. Early eyewitness testimony points to a possible problem with the oven's gas supply oven. This isn't the first personal injury accident at the Clairton works. A maintenance worker was killed in a September 2009 explosion at the plant.

Manufacturing plants have a duty to protect the health and safety of their employees. When serious personal injury construction accidents or death occur on the job, plant owners may be liable for medical expenses and damages to the victim and his family. An expert Philadelphia personal injury attorney can review your case and advise you of your rights.

The tragic blowout at the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico and the resulting destruction has focused national attention on the hazards of oil and gas drilling. Closer to home, a blowout last week at a natural gas drilling site near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania raised fears of an explosion. The blowout sent gas and polluted drill water shooting 75 feet into the air for more than 16 hours before the drill crew was able to bring the blowout under control. Calling the incident a serious Pennsylvania construction accident and vowing a full investigation, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger told the Associated Press, "The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident that endangered life and property."

Pennsylvania construction workers were fortunate to avoid serious personal injury at the Harrisburg blowout. Construction accidents in other states point out the potential hazards drill crews face. Yesterday, a natural gas line erupted south of Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, sparking a massive fireball and explosion. One utility worker was killed in the construction accident and several workers were hospitalized with severe personal injuries. Earlier that day, at a West Virginia natural gas site located 55 miles southwest of Pittsburg, seven members of a natural gas drilling crew suffered serious burn injuries when they hit a pocket of methane gas that exploded.

Natural gas and Philadelphia construction accidents can have devastating consequences for workers and their families. Due to the involvement of multiple defendants, these cases can be a challenge to pursue. An experienced Philadelphia construction accident attorney can cut through the red tape and insurance paperwork to ensure that you get the settlement and help you are entitled to if you are injured on the job.

As an experienced construction accident lawyer in Philadelphia, I know firsthand how devastating a construction accident or work injury can be. Coal mining accidents and injuries have been in the news recently. According to the Energy Information Administration, Annual Coal Report of 2009, Pennsylvania was ranked fourth for coal production in the United States, producing 5.6% of the United States' coal. Coal mining accidents and injuries in Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area is a great concern.

Yesterday, it was reported that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has suspended the mining permit of a nearly two-century-old eastern Pennsylvania company, Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. of Pottsville. According to the Pocono Record Newspaper, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection accuses the coal company of illegal mining practices, violating water quality standards and failing to reclaim mined lands. These types of practices could cause these Philadelphia suburban coal workers serious accidents and injuries. Many times Pennsylvania workers' compensation benefits are not enough to provide these injured workers sufficient money and medical care. Plus, the accident victim may not qualify for Pennsylvania unemployment compensation.

A congressional hearing into the cause of the fatal Massey Energy Co. mine explosion that killed 29 miners in Beckley, West Virginia last month has revealed that not only did the company regularly violate safety rules, it pressured employees to hide safety violations from federal inspectors. Family members of those who died in the country's worst mining disaster in four decades testified that Massey threatened workers who raised safety issues and ordered workers to direct inspectors' attention away from safety problems during mine inspections. It's a cautionary tale for Philadelphia construction workers who work in hazardous settings every day.

Every year thousands of construction workers are killed or suffer severe personal injuries in construction site accidents. Construction workers rely on their employers to provide as safe a work environment as possible, including adhering to all safety regulations, encouraging safe work practices and maintaining construction equipment in good repair. Even when both the construction company and its workers exercise safety precautions, construction accidents can occur.

Last October a Philadelphia construction worker, James Wilson, was killed on a Center City Philadelphia job site when a construction lift collapsed. Two lifts were being used to inspect masonry on the First Presbyterian Church when the wheel of the lift Wilson was operating crashed through the lid of a sidewalk utility box. The lift overbalanced and fell, tearing through an adjacent apartment building and raining bricks and debris onto the street below. Wilson was killed and several drivers suffered personal injuries when debris struck their vehicles. The construction foreman said Wilson had been one of the company's most safety conscious employees.

When a Philadelphia construction accident occurs, quickly contacting a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer allows an experienced construction accident attorney to investigate physical evidence and safety issues and interview eyewitnesses promptly to protect your legal rights.

A recent construction injury case decided by a Philadelphia jury illustrates the legal principal of comparative negligence. Many times a client will ask me, “What if I was partly at fault in the accident?” In the case of Bell v. Lafayette College, a roofer fell off a ladder while working in the rain at Lafayette College. He fractured his heel and shoulder and claimed he could not return to work. The Philadelphia jury awarded a $2.38 million dollar verdict. David Beil, 47, sued the college and two contractors, Telesis Construction and Masonry Preservation. The contractors settled during trial for $900,000 each. Beil asserted at trial that despite wet and muddy conditions due to rain, Lafayette College prohibited him and other construction workers from using an indoor stairway to the roof, which would have been much safer to access the roof. Instead the construction worker used a ladder. The defense attorney for the college argued that it was Beil’s own fault for deciding to climb a wet and muddy ladder in the rain without permission. The Philadelphia County jury on Oct. 27 found that Telesis was 50% liable, Lafayette College was 35% liable, Masonry was 10% liable and Beil was 5% liable. It awarded $6.8 million. Because the college was 35% liable, Beil was awarded $2.38 million of the $6.8 million dollar verdict.

This illustrates the legal concept of comparative negligence in a personal injury case, which is one of the main questions to answer in any slip and fall accident. Under Pennsylvania and New Jersey law, you may still recover damages if you are partially at fault, unless a judge or jury finds you to be more than 50% responsible for your own injury. In other words, if you were found to be 40% at fault, and the property owner was found to be 60% at fault, you can recover damages for your slip and fall equal to 60% of the amount awarded by the jury. This is known as "comparative negligence". There is no formula for arriving at a precise number for a person's comparative negligence. You need an experienced slip and fall lawyer to negotiate for your settlement with an insurance adjuster or possibly argue your case to a jury at trial to discuss all of the factors that might have caused the accident.

Source: www.verdictsearch.com.