Trench Collapse Causes Fatal Augusta Construction Accident
An Augusta man was killed last Saturday when a sandy trench at a construction site where the man was working collapsed. The construction accident victim was working with another man six feet underground. Tragically, when the trench collapsed, the accident victim was buried beneath the ground and suffocated.
The fatal construction accident occurred at an Augusta, Georgia public housing construction site. Authorities indicated that water began to seep into the trench causing it to collapse. The other man working in the construction site trench was rescued and taken to the hospital. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident. The construction industry provides the most dangerous work environment of any industry, resulting in 150,000 construction site injuries each year and over a thousand construction workers being killed. At Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, we have been representing injured construction workers in Atlanta and throughout Georgia for over 39 years.
Construction sites are filled with a virtual plethora of hazards, including the following:
- Falls: While falls from ladders and scaffoldings are common, construction workers also frequently are injured when falling in excavations or through open or insecure flooring.
- Collisions with Equipment and Vehicles: Construction workers are often injured at construction sites when they are struck by someone operating a vehicle or piece of heavy equipment. Other workers who are not careful at a work site frequently contribute to construction accidents.
- Trench Collapse Accidents: Trenches, particularly those that are deeper, pose a serious risk of collapsing on a construction worker and causing catastrophic injuries or even fatalities as in the Augusta construction accident. It is very important to ensure that the trench or excavation is protected by shoring, sloping, benching or a trench protection system.
- Electrocution: There are a multitude of electrocution risks at a construction site both below ground and overhead.
- Defective Equipment: Construction sites are filled with heavy equipment. When this equipment is defective, it can malfunction resulting in injuries to the person operating the equipment or other workers in the vicinity.
It has been estimated that one in ten construction workers will suffer a construction site accident. Construction accidents often result in very serious head, neck and back injuries that can require long-term rehabilitative care and extraordinary medical expenses. Construction accident injuries often result in a worker being unable to engage in future employment in the construction trade. If you are injured in a construction accident and face such serious consequences, it is imperative that you obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries. However, construction sites are constantly changing so crucial evidence can disappear if you do not seek immediate legal advice. An experienced construction accident attorney can have experts investigate the construction site, interview witnesses to the accident or safety violations that contributed to the accident and make sure that crucial evidence is preserved.
The experienced construction accident attorneys and workers' compensation attorneys at Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, have been representing injured construction accident victims for over 39 years. If you or someone you love is injured in a serious Georgia construction accident, Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, can help. Our Georgia construction accident attorneys are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Call us today for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333), or visit us on the web at www.montlick.com. No matter where you are in Georgia, we are just a phone call away and we will even come to you.