Elkhart, IN — Local news reported that Randall Reinhardt was killed in a work accident in Elkhart, Indiana, on Tuesday, November 18, 2015. The accident happened on Mid-City Supply Co.
Very few details about the accident have been released. Reports say that Reinhardt was killed in a fall, but how that fall occurred hasn’t been mentioned.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified of the accident and have been investigating. However, OSHA investigations can take months to complete, so it may be some time yet before they’re released.
It seems as if no one else was injured in the accident. Reinhardt was 57 year old.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
I really wish we knew a little more about what happened here. Reports say that the victim died in a fall? What were the circumstances behind that? Sometimes, accidents just happen, and they can’t be avoided. But other times, they’re completely avoidable. Was the victim up on a ladder? Was he working on the roof of the building? Really, the circumstances surrounding the accident could have a huge impact on how the situation is handled going forward. OSHA has been investigating this accident for a couple of months now, but it could be months yet before they have anything to release. Unfortunately, that’s the downside to the work they do.
Aside from that, they’re typically concerned only with whether or not a safety violations took place. If there have been, the workplace is fined, and they move onto the next accident. In my experience, that’s not really where a victim’s family’s head is at following something like this. Sure, they want to know what happened in an accident, but they also want to know why it happened. Privately-handled investigations seem to be the way to find out the answer to a question like that. OSHA is a huge organization with a lot on its plate. A private investigation can focus on what it’s looking into now, and that can really make a huge difference.
— Grossman Law Offices
