Birmingham, AL — An accident at a railroad yard in Birmingham, Alabama, claimed the life of former “Survivor” contestant Caleb Bankston. The accident took place on Wednesday, June 25, 2014.
Bankston worked as a railroad conductor at the Walter Coke Plant in Birmingham, Alabama. Bankston and another employee were standing on a rail car moving a train loaded with boxes to another spot in the yard.
According to reports, two wheels on one of the box cars derailed, throwing Bankston and the second employee into another yard. Although Bankston was killed, there’s been no word on the second employee’s condition.
Reports say that the Federal Railroad Administration has been contacted to start an official investigation into the matter.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
As this is a work-related accident, it would be handled through the employer’s workers comp coverage. A few states have what’s called a gross negligence clause, which means that if the accident was caused through the negligence of another employee, then the injured or the deceased’s family would have some legal recourse through them. Alabama has no such clause in their workers comp laws. If there was a third party involved in this accident somehow — which doesn’t seem to be the case, but if there was — then the victim’s family could potentially have a claim against them.
— Grossman Law Offices
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