A 56-year-old man was killed in a tractor-trailer accident at a warehouse in Pennsylvania on Aug. 4. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun an investigation into the incident, but an agency spokeswoman declined to provide details while the investigation is ongoing.
It is known that the incident occurred at 7:22 a.m. when the 56-year-old man was trapped between two trucks in the loading dock of a South Middleton Township warehouse. According to Pennsylvania State Police, the man was working at the rear of his truck, opening the trailer doors, when the cab of a second tractor-trailer hit him and pinned him between the two vehicles.
The second truck had been operated by a 23-year-old man who had parked it behind the first truck. According to the police report, the 23-year-old man used the air brake to keep his truck in place while parked, but the brake was not applied fully. The truck drifted forward, striking and killing the 56-year-old man. A Pennsylvania State Police trooper said that the second truck underwent an inspection but did not provide further details.
In cases involving Workplace Accidents, injured parties and their families may sometimes choose between different avenues of relief. Here, for example, the family of the man who was killed may choose to pursue relief through workers' compensation laws or via the civil court system.
If the OSHA investigation reveals negligence on the part of the 23-year-old man, the warehouse, or one or more of the trucking companies involved, the family may decide to pursue a wrongful death claim rather than workers' compensation death benefits. A workers' compensation attorney may be able to advise a person about the options available to them after they have suffered a work-related injury.
Source: Land Line, "OSHA investigating death of trucker at Pennsylvania warehouse", Greg Grisolano, August 11, 2014
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