UPDATE (1/13/2015): The construction worker injured in this accident has been identified as Christopher Graham.
Brick, NJ — Police have not yet released the identity of a man who was injured in a construction accident in Brick, New Jersey, on Saturday, January 10, 2015. The accident happened at the Route 88 overpass on Garden State Parkway, around 10:00 in the morning.
Reports say that the man was operating a crane that tipped over, throwing him from the overpass into a wooded area just off the road.
Paramedics responding to the scene flew the man to a local hospital. There’s been no information released on the man’s injuries.
No other injuries were reported, and from what local news sources have said, no one else was involved in the accident. Police are continuing to investigate.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
My first question is, why did this accident happen? Cranes typically can only do a few different things. Collapsing and injuring the people operating them isn’t one of them. Was it being used in the wrong way? Was there something wrong with it?
In any case, the injured worker is going to be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. However, if an investigation finds that there was something wrong with the crane itself, it’s possible that the manufacturer or another third party could be held liable for the damage. And as workers’ comp agreements don’t cover third parties, the injured worker would be well within his rights to file a claim against them. If they contributed to the accident, they should be held accountable for it. Period.
In these situations, private investigations are always going to be the preferred course of action. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which typically investigates work accidents, generally takes months before their investigation is complete. And even then, their investigation isn’t focused on the victim. It’s focused largely on whether any labor laws were broken, and how the accident happened. Private investigations, on the other hand, are concerned with trying to figure out why the accident happened.
— Grossman Law Offices
