West Virginia construction worker killed in accident

A West Virginia construction worker died in a terrible accident while working on a drilling rig this week, according to The Herald-Mail.  The victim, who was originally from Pennsylvania, died on the scene after a 20-ton drilling rig fell and pinned him to the ground. The accident occurred in Kearneysville, W. Va at a construction site behind the IRS Enterprise Computing Center.

Our heartfelt sympathy and condolences go out to the victim and his family. It is always hard to deal with the loss of a loved one. It is especially hard knowing that this innocent man lost his life while at a place we often think of as safe: work.

The fact of the matter is that an accident can occur anywhere, whether at a construction site like the one in this case or whether at a typical office building. This risk for workplace injury or fatality varies based on the nature of the job performed. Unfortunately, construction sites seem to have a higher risk for workplace injury.

Workplace accidents, especially those involving heavy machinery or equipment, have proved to be extremely dangerous. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that approximately "4,340 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2009." While this number is down significantly from the the 5,214 fatal injuries in 2008, it is still a very high number. These numbers are exceptionally high when you consider that they do not factor in non-fatal workplace injuries, which exceed over 3 million in 2009, according to the BLS.

There are certain precautions construction workers can take to make their working conditions safer, like wearing proper safety gear and familiarizing themselves with their tools and surroundings, but not all accidents can be prevented.  Our firm specializes in personal injury and has seen numerous cases in which workers were severely injured due to faulty equipment or due to other reasons beyond their control. If you have been injured in a workplace accident or if you have lost a loved one in a workplace accident, please contact our firm for a no-hassle, free consultation.

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