A construction worker in Virginia Beach was the victim of a horrific workplace fatality on May 3. The 23-year-old man, who worked for The Miller Group, was operating a construction roller at a job site near London Bridge Road when the roller stopped working. He got off to jumpstart it. Another worker was backing up a bulldozer and did not see the man by the roller. The bulldozer rolled over him, crushing him to death.
The victim’s brother recounted the scene to a NewsChannel 3 reporter: “I came back and he blew up like a balloon.. . . I sat out there for almost three hours with my brother just laying in the dirt, I mean it’s just hard man.”
The victim’s brother believes The Miller Group is to blame for the accident. He said the construction roller had a faulty starter that The Miller Group supervisors had known about for weeks. He said if the roller had a working starter his brother wouldn’t have been in the path of the bulldozer trying to fix it.
In 2012 alone, 149 people died as a result of workplace injuries in Virginia. Of those deaths, 29 were caused by workplace equipment. It’s true that some jobs are more dangerous than others, but every workplace should be as safe as it can possibly be. Workers should have peace of mind that their company cares about their safety. At a minimum, this includes following all OSHA regulations and properly maintaining and repairing workplace equipment. If OSHA investigates and concludes The Miller Group failed to meet those basic standards, it should be held accountable to the fullest extent the law allows.
Nothing can bring back the victim of a workplace fatality, but if the victim’s company is to blame for the death it has a responsibility to compensate the victim’s family for their loss. Damages from a wrongful death lawsuit can pay for funeral and burial expenses, help make up for the loss of future income, and provide monetary compensation for pain and suffering. For more information, see this article on the types of damages available in a Virginia wrongful death case.
AM