Category : Construction Accidents
Construction Worker Killed in Suspected Drunk Driving Accident
A construction worker, who was supervising activity in a construction zone in Sacramento, was killed when a driver struck him.
The worker Arnoldo Placencia was engaged in road repairs with two other workers when he was struck by Sacramento resident Nancy Richards. 26-year-old Richards was driving at 75mph when her car veered into a construction zone, and struck Placencia. Nancy’s car then traveled on, crashing into a flatbed truck that was parked there. She also died in the construction accident. The accident occurred at about 1:20am when Placencia was overseeing the night shift. The construction zone had a 40mph speed limit. Placencia seems to have been thrown about 100 feet into the air. Another worker on the site received minor head injuries, and was treated for these.
Authorities have said that Richards’ body smelt of alcohol, but whether she was drunk at the time of the accident can only be confirmed after toxicology test results come in. Investigations will involve retracing Richards’ activities in the 24 hours before the accident to determine the cause of the crash. That is expected to take many months.
Placencia’s daughter is due to marry in September. In November, he and his wife Alicia would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Ironically, he seems to have taken great care about his safety because of his wife’s fears about the dangers on a construction site.
There is a reason why construction zones have lowered speed limits. These areas can quickly become congested because of construction material, workers and all the hectic activity that takes place while erection work is going on. Normal speed limits in a construction zone can be extremely dangerous even for experienced drivers. The risk of losing control of the vehicle and striking a construction barrier or, even worse, a worker, are too high to ignore. Richards, according to police, was driving around 75mph in a 40mph zone.
Alcohol and speed simply do not mix. On their own, these two are responsible for thousands of car accidents every year. When combined however, the potential for serious accidents that result in catastrophic injuries or deaths is even greater. A motorist driving at excessive speeds will be unable to control the vehicle when necessary. Any resulting accidents can be severe in impact, and end in severe injuries and deaths. Persons driving under the influence of alcohol may suffer from delayed response times and impaired judgment that can impact their ability to control the vehicle.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of construction accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.
Man Injured in San Diego Walkway Collapse Construction Accident Dies of Injuries
Last summer, a pedestrian walkway under construction in San Diego collapsed, leaving at least 16 people injured. One of the three people who was seriously injured in the collapse has died in the hospital.
49-year-old Tyrone Allen had been hospitalized with severe trauma after the accident that occurred on an East Village street on August 28th last year. On Wednesday, Allen died from complications resulting from his injuries. The collapse had left two other women with severe traumatic injuries. When the walkway collapsed, there were at least 20 people standing on it. The walkway had been built right next to the construction site of an apartment complex. It was built so that pedestrians would be protected from falling construction debris. There was more than the usual number of people on the walkway because it was lunch hour. According to victims who were standing on the walkway, there was some swaying, and then the walkway collapsed suddenly taking down all people walking or standing on it. There was no warning of the impending fall, and no time at all for the unfortunate pedestrians to save themselves from injury. Those who were wounded reported injuries that ranged from minor scratches and fractures, to severe trauma. Many of the victims using the walkway were residents of a homeless shelter just across the street, who were using the walkway during lunch hour.
The accident did not result in any fatalities. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration did begin investigations into the accident like it does after a construction accident of this size involving severe and multiple injuries. Those investigative reports haven’t yet been filed, and are expected to be presented in a few weeks’ time. After the collapse, the construction site was temporarily closed down by Allgire General Contractors, who were the contractors for the project. Since the collapse, it has been revealed that it was not the first time that the company had been cited for construction hazards at the workplace that resulted in fatalities. The exact same construction site where the walkway collapsed had earlier seen a fine of $200 levied on the company. Another prior violation was found at an Allgire construction site in Encinitas where the company was cited for not having provided a guardrail for workers. The pedestrian walkway collapse did not result in any injuries to the company’s workers.
A construction site can be one of the most dangerous workplace sites. Scaffolding collapses can injure workers, and others in the vicinity, and workers can fall from elevated heights. Trenches can cave in and collapse trapping workers beneath. Electrocutions when workers come into contact with live power lines and when defective power tools are used are also commonly seen on a construction site. Workers who are injured on a construction site may be eligible for compensation from parties who have been responsible for their injuries, excluding their employer. There could be architects and designers who were responsible for the site plan, or manufacturers of defective equipment who may be named in a construction accident lawsuit.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of construction accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
San Diego Walkway Construction Accident Injures At Least 15
There were about 20 people standing on a walkway built near a construction zone in San Diego, when it began to suddenly sway and fall. Now at least 15 of those who were on the walkway have been taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries that range from minor to serious.
The wooden walkway was built next to the construction site of a three-storey apartment building in down town San Diego. It was built to protect passing pedestrians from the debris falling from the construction going on. During lunch hour, when there are a lot of people using the walkway, there were 20 people or so on the walkway. Victims said they felt the walkway sway, and then buckle under, taking them with it. Some of the most severe injuries were related to two persons who had suffered a broken back and fractured leg. All victims are expected to make a recovery.
The building being constructed called Studio 15 is a low cost housing project, and the contractors of the project are Allgire General Contractors, a Carlsbad base company. Officials at the company failed to give any comments about the reasons for the construction accident, saying the matter was under investigation. It’s not the first time that a construction accident of this sort has taken place at the company. In fact, the exact same site was the location of a previous construction accident. In December last year, a fine of $200 was levied on the company for leaving a ladder unsecured. Another accident occurred in Encinitas, where the company was cited for not providing a guardrail to protect construction workers from an accident. In a time period from 1972, the company has had a total of 4 safety violations.
Some of the victims of this most recent construction accident were members of a homeless shelter just across the street from the walkway. Some of them were using the walkway during lunch hours when it collapsed, injuring several of them.
Obviously, there was carelessness or negligence at some level in this construction accident. A walkway doesn’t just collapse; there were structural faults here that will come out in further investigations. The company that was responsible for construction at the site will have to answer to how a walkway that hundreds of pedestrians use daily was allowed to be so unstable it fell apart for no reason.
It’s extremely fortunate that there were no fatalities here. From reports of the accident, it seeks that there were no warning signs that the walkway was about to collapse, so victims had no time to protect themselves from injury. There are some reports of construction scaffolding falling on the walkway triggering collapse. That needs to be investigated fully.
The injured should definitely look at getting compensation for their injuries. The homeless victims who were injured in the accident, most probably have no means to pay off their medical bills. They need to know that they have legal rights in this construction accident.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of construction accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.