Investigations Continue into Atlanta Pedestrian Bridge Construction Accident
Federal investigators continued to look for clues over the weekend into the construction accident at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens that killed at least one worker, and injured several others. The accident occurred when a canopy was being laid in preparation of a new pedestrian bridge at the park.
The accident occurred on Friday morning when workers were busy pouring concrete on the much vaunted four-storey high "canopy walk" that was under construction. As the concrete was being poured, the canopy suddenly collapsed, sending workers plunging at least 40 meters below. At least 18 of the workers sustained injuries in the accident, and had to be rushed to the hospital. One worker, a 66-year-old man was killed in the accident.
The bridge, upon completion, was supposed to be the only one of its kind in the country, and construction was being overseen by Hardin Construction, the project contractor. As the probe continues, we have been seeing reports of a record of fatal accidents involving workers not only at previous Hardin Construction projects, but also at the concrete company that was involved in the accident. A Hardin worker died due to suffocation in 2001 when his head got stuck between a platform and a ceiling. A worker at the concrete company, Pioneer Concrete Pumping Service Inc., was killed in 1991 after a truck malfunction during construction work. Records show that the two companies have been cited several times by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and have only had to pay a few thousand dollars in fines as a result. OSHA has already sent its compliance officers to the scene of the Atlanta bridge collapse.
We're still waiting for more details to emerge out of the Atlanta bridge collapse, but it definitely appears like there was negligence on the part of more than one company involved in the construction of the bridge.
Liability for Construction Accidents
Any worker who is injured on a construction accident is entitled to Worker's Compensation from his employer. Besides this, he can also use the help of a construction accident lawyer to bring a civil liability lawsuit against third parties that were involved in the accident. These parties can include manufacturers of equipment that contributed to the accident, the company that was involved in the oversight of the construction work, architects and engineers who may have been responsible for any design flaws, and others. Workers' Compensation, in many cases may not be sufficient to cover all aspects of an injured worker's recovery and rehabilitation, and a personal injury lawsuit can help obtain the maximum compensation possible from all sources.
If you have been injured in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens construction accident, contact an experienced Atlanta construction accident lawyer for a free evaluation of your case.
