Yolo County, CA — A construction worker was hospitalized after being injured by a falling object in Yolo County, California. The accident happened on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
Local reports say that the man is part of the Woodland-Davis project that’s designed to deliver water from the Sacramento River to the two cities. The man was working in a cofferdam about 40 feet below the waterline when the falling object struck him. Exactly what the object was is unclear at this time.
Coworkers used construction stairs to descend into the cofferdam and bring the man up. His name hasn’t been released. He’s been identified only as a 38-year-old.
Following the accident, he was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, and is reported to be in stable condition. The accident is currently under investigation.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
In most cases, an employer will have a workers’ comp policy that will step in and offer benefits to the victim that can be used to cover medical bills or lost wages. In most cases, these same policies will forbid an employee from filing a claim against their employer outside the typical workers’ comp claim. However, an employee will be able to pursue a negligence claim if it’s discovered that a third party was somehow involved in the accident. In a construction accident, that could mean an employee from another company working at the same site, it could mean a piece of equipment or machinery. What caused this accident to happen? Did a piece of machinery not work the way it was supposed to? A third party has the potential to change the way that the accident is handled going forward.
— Grossman Law Offices