A 42-year-old man fell to his death on a construction site in Pennsylvania on April 17. The man has not yet been publicly identified, but he was working as a carpenter on a site in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood when he died.
The man was working for the Turner Construction Company on the Cira Centre South high-rise project, located on the 2900 block of Chestnut Street, when he fell more than 80 feet. The reason that he fell has yet to be conclusively established. The accident occurred around 8 a.m. The man was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for treatment, but he could not be saved and was pronounced dead by hospital officials at 8:43 a.m.
All work at the site came to a halt as the company responded to the incident. The company announced their intention to investigate the accident. Governmental agencies including the Philadelphia Fire Department, Philadelphia Police Department, OSHA and the office of Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections also plan to investigate the circumstances of the man's death.
Any accident that happens to a worker on a construction site should be covered by workers' compensation laws unless the worker was acting with gross irresponsibility or malfeasance. If there is any irregularity with the disbursement of the appropriate funds to the injured worker or their surviving beneficiaries, then it may be appropriate to consult with an attorney about methods of compelling full compliance with the law. It may also be possible to press a lawsuit against the owner and operator of the building, if they were a different company from the stricken worker's employer, or any other groups or organizations that may bear responsibility for the accident.
Source: Philly.com, "Man falls 80 feet to his death at University City construction site," Robert Moran, April 17, 2015
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