California Injury Blog
A 36-year-old man suffered injuries in an Oxnard construction accident after he fell from the roof of a building where he was working. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, the worker was fixing a hole in the roof of building that had been damaged by fire in the 3700 block of Hemlock Street, the morning of June 9, 2009. The worker fell through the roof hitting fluorescent lights on his way to the ground about 25 feet below. Oxnard fire officials said the man was knocked out briefly, but was conscious when he was transported to an area hospital. His injuries are apparently not life-threatening.
My heart goes out to this construction worker who suffered serious personal injury in this Ventura County on-the-job injury accident. But, I’m extremely relieved that he survived a 25-foot fall, which definitely, could have been catastrophic. I wish this man the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep this worker and his family in your prayers.
According to the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA) statistics, there were 84 construction accident related fatalities in California in 2005. A total of 59 people died in California in 2005 in construction and industrial accidents involving falls from a higher elevation.
This newspaper report does not give too many details about why this on-the-job injury accident occurred. Were there scaffolds, guardrails or other safety features installed at the construction site to prevent exactly something like this from happening? Such safety features are mandated by both Cal-OSHA and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. I trust investigators are looking into whether someone’s negligence or failure to adhere to safety standards was the cause of this worker’s serious injuries.
This worker would no doubt be entitled to workers compensation benefits from his employer. However, he would be well-advised to consult established California on-the-job injury attorneys who will look into a third party claim, which is usually filed against an entity or a person other than the victim’s employer, whose negligence may have cause the workplace accident. A third party, for example could be a contractor or a sub-contractor. Skilled California personal injury attorneys, who have a strong and successful track record in handling third party claims, will be able to help this worker and his family secure the compensation they rightfully deserve.