Construction Accidents

March 28, 2024

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: What It Means For Mainers

According to a recent article, there are still 6 people unaccounted for after a bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland on March 26th. A container ship lost power and rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to crumble to pieces. Several cars plunged into the river below.

Bridges are vital components of our infrastructure, connecting communities and facilitating the transportation of goods and people. However, when bridges fail, the consequences can be catastrophic, resulting in injury, loss of life, and significant economic impact. The recent incident in Baltimore serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of structural support failures and bridge collapses.

The Causes of Bridge Collapses and Structural Support Failures:

September 6, 2023

Ensuring Safety: Exploring Structural Support Failures and Legal Remedies

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Safety is paramount when it comes to the places we live and frequent daily. Unfortunately, structural support failures can lead to catastrophic accidents that disrupt lives and cause immense harm.

A recent incident in Augusta serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers posed by structural support failures. According to a report by the Portland Press Herald, a porch on Washington Street collapsed, leading to the displacement of ten individuals. The incident emphasizes the critical need to ensure the stability and safety of structures to prevent such accidents from occurring.

Common Causes of Structural Support Failures

March 15, 2023

Recovering Compensation for Independent Contractors in Maine Workplace Injuries

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Independent contractors are workers whom an employer contracts to perform work for someone else. For example, a roofer may form an agreement with a roofing company to fix the roof of a company client. Under these arrangements, the independent contractor is not technically an employee. Unfortunately, this means if an independent contractor suffers injuries on the job, the employer can avoid paying out workers’ compensation. Instead, an independent contractor may look to alternative routes for compensation.

As a recent news article reported, a paper mill worker suffered from several injuries after falling from a roof in Skowhegan, Maine. Officials believe the person was an independent contractor fixing a piece of equipment on top of the building’s roof. The local fire department assisted with rescuing the person, who was transported to the hospital for multiple injuries. The accident comes on the heels of another subcontractor’s tragic death in the same town. The subcontractor was working at a different mill when he suddenly collapsed.

Can Independent Contractors Recover Workers’ Compensation?

If independent contractors suffer injuries on the job, they generally cannot recover workers’ compensation against the entity that contracted them for the job. Independent contractors must have workers’ compensation insurance for any employees they hire, but independent contractors themselves often do not receive workers’ compensation. Maine law presumes all workers are employees for workers’ compensation purposes. However, employers can escape that presumption by proving their workers are independent contractors who will not receive workers’ compensation for injuries on the job. Unfortunately, this arrangement is all too common. Employers save money by avoiding workers’ compensation insurance and payouts, leaving their workers with no recourse if they suffer injuries that impede their ability to earn a living. However, independent contractors can recover workers’ compensation if they can show the employer misclassified them as independent contractors rather than an employees.

March 18, 2021

Third-Party Claims After Maine Workplace and Construction Accidents

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Those who suffer injuries at a construction site or shipyard, may recover damages for their injuries and losses. Maine workplace accident cases are often complex because they entail a complicated interplay of various statutes and regulations. Maine shipyards and construction sites are some of the most dangerous workplaces. These premises often have heavy-duty machinery and dangerous features that present hazards to anyone in the vicinity. Further, because of the various parties working at these locations, the sites often lead to chaos, and the inattention to detail can have disastrous consequences. These accidents can lead to broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and death. For example, news reports recently described a Maine shipyard’s worker crane accident. The victim suffered severe injuries requiring several surgeries while working with a crane at the shipyard.

The most common types of Maine shipyard and construction site accidents involve automotive and crane accidents, scaffolding accidents, trench collapses, burns, equipment failures, and toxin exposure. In some cases, non-exempt employees may pursue claims against their employer through the state’s workers’ compensation program. However, employers and co-workers are typically immune from liability. As such, the law permits injury victims and their loved ones to pursue third-party lawsuits against any other negligent party involved in the accident.

Some common examples of third-party negligence involve accidents that occur because of the negligent design or manufacturer of safety equipment, the use of toxic materials in construction projects, faulty engineering plans, the failure to want of dangerous conditions, motor vehicle accidents caused by third-parties, and defective machinery. Although workers may recover a portion of their damages through the workers’ compensation program, the amount is rarely enough to cover the extent of the victim’s damages. Further, workers’ compensation does not allow for the award of pain and suffering damages. Pain and suffering is a real, traumatic consequence of many accidents. Damages for pain and suffering are appropriate to compensate the victim for the injury’s emotional and physical stress.

October 14, 2020

Maine Court Rules in Favor of Plaintiff in Bystander Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress Claim

by Peter Thompson & Associates

When you witness an accident, especially involving a close family member or loved one, it can often be a traumatic experience. Thankfully, the law provides various opportunities to recover in the wake of these incidents. When a bystander only hears — and does not see — an accident occur, however, the legal calculus can often become complex.

In a recent Maine Supreme Court opinion, a couple sued after an accident resulted in their son’s death. The plaintiffs had their own company and employed their son as a foreman. On the day of the accident, an employee of the defendant arrived at the plaintiffs’ home to deliver supplies. The delivery included multiple pieces of extremely heavy concrete. During delivery, one of the pieces fell off the forklift and landed on the plaintiffs’ son. The plaintiff’s father was in another part of the house when he heard a loud bang, followed by screaming. He ran to the scene and found his son lying face down with blood coming out of his mouth. After the concrete was removed, the plaintiff performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on his son for thirty to fifty minutes. The plaintiff’s son never regained consciousness and died by the time EMTs arrived. For several hours after he died, his body remained in the yard of the plaintiffs’ home awaiting the official investigation.

Following the accident, the deceased’s father was unable to move back into his home because of emotional pain and threatened suicide several times to his wife. The couple was later divorced. The deceased’s father filed a bystander negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED) claim individually, and the deceased’s mother filed a loss of consortium claim against the defendant. The lower court ruled in favor of the defendant, and the plaintiffs appealed.

July 16, 2018

Bangor Road Construction Highlights Accident Risks

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Construction at a busy downtown Bangor intersection has proven stressful to motorists and has authorities preaching caution through the remainder of summer road-construction season.

The downtown work to replace Civl War era drainage and sewer lines began in April and is expected to last through the remainder of the year. The project has narrowed Exchange, State, Harlow and Hammond streets to one lane, and temporarily reconfigured Park Street to one-way travel.

Summer is prime time for road construction throughout Maine, as crews work to improve infrastructure and repair winter road damage. As of mid-July, the Maine Department of Transportation lists 360 road construction projects in progress throughout the state.

August 8, 2014

Speeding Crackdown in Construction Zones Aims to Prevent Bangor Traffic Collisions

by Peter Thompson & Associates

A worker was moving a barrel in a construction zone on Interstate 95 in Bangor recently when a speeding car zipped by – and nearly struck him. He was only saved by his quick reaction when he leaped behind a concrete barrier to avoid a direct hit, which would have almost certainly meant serious injury or death. Instead, the 44-year-old driver struck the barrel.

He was later charged with speeding (65 mph in a 45 mph construction zone) and failure to obey a traffic control device.

Our Bangor personal injury lawyers understand this incident prompted the Maine State Police to set up a speed trap in the area. Authorities say the results were revealing. In just two hours, the five troopers assigned to the detail handed out 25 tickets amounting to more than $10,000 in fines. The primary focus: driver speed and distraction in construction zones.

November 9, 2011

OSHA Fines Company after Fatal Work Accident in Bangor

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Bowdoin Excavation Inc. in North Yarmouth has been cited numerous times by the Occupational Safety & Heath Administration (OSHA) for violations that were reportedly connected to the fatal Bangor construction accident that killed a 23-year-old employee. We recently told you about this accident on our Maine Injury Lawyer Blog. Now OSHA is taking charge of the incident to help make sure that nothing like this happens again and that all involved parties are properly reprimanded.According to OSHA, the company was issued nearly $14,000 in fines because it failed to meet the administration’s safety standards. Some of the violations were for using construction equipment on unsafe access roadways and for failing to use protective equipment, according to Mainebiz.

Our Portland personal injury attorneys understand that the young worker was run over by a backhoe as he was working at one of the company’s work sites in Bangor. It all happened as the vehicle rolled down a small hill. Reports indicate that the employee was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, but the operator of the backhoe was not wearing a seat belt. The seat belt fine totaled more than $4,000. Nearly $2,000 in fines were handed to the company for using a web sling that was damaged, another $1,800 fine for failing to put a ladder in a trench, and more than $4,000 for using a backhoe on a slope that was considered too steep.

The company is not planning on contesting these violations. Company representatives claim that all employees and machine operators were up to date with their training and certificates. The accident is still being investigated by OSHA.

“This is something we take very seriously,” said Tricia Bowdoin, office manager and the wife of the company’s owner. “Our employees are our company.”

In the United States, there were more than 4,500 fatalities resulting from on-the-job accidents in 2010. The number one cause of these deaths was transportation-related accidents. Highway-related deaths accounted for more than 20 percent of the 2010 fatalities. Workplace homicides accounted for slightly more than 10 percent, falls accounted for nearly 15 percent, and getting struck by an object accounted for about 9 percent of fatal work accidents.

Construction accidents killed nearly 800 workers in 2010, accounting for nearly 20 percent of work-related fatalities. More than 10 percent of construction workers who were killed in 2010 were killed in highway-related accidents. Homicides accounted for only 1 percent of the fatalities in this industry. Nearly 40 percent were from falls, and another 8 percent were from workers being hit by objects.

Although OSHA continues to push for better workplace safety, the number of fatal work accidents in Maine increased 20 percent in 2010 compared to 2009 — from 16 to 19 deaths — according to the United States Department of Labor.

September 19, 2011

Preliminary Results Reveal Dangers of Fatal Work Accidents in Maine, Nation

by Maine Employee Rights Group

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released new preliminary data calculating the total number of work injuries in Maine and elsewhere in 2010. The Bureau estimates that nearly 4,550 employees were the victim of a fatal work accident in 2010. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported that there was a final count of 4,551 on-the-job fatalities recorded in 2009.

The number of fatal work-related injuries in the United States totaled about 3.5 deaths for every 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. This is the exact same rate that 2009 produced. Final data for the 2010 year will be released in the Spring of 2012.Our Portland injury attorneys understand that there are many unseen factors that go into the risks of a work accident, including the total number of hours worked and the status of the economy/unemployment rate. The number of hours worked was up in 2010 in comparison to both 2008 and 2009. Industries that are typically high-risk however, were fortunate enough to experience a decline in the number of fatal accidents. These industries also experienced a slow increase in the number of worked hours.

The primarily findings from the 2010 Bureau’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

-Self-employed workers: Experienced a decline in the number of fatal work injuries by about 6 percent. Less than 1,000 workers died in this industry during the year.

-Private mining industry: Increased of almost 75 percent in the number of fatal work accidents from 2009 to 2010. Nearly 175 workers died in this industry throughout the year giving it a death rate of 19.9 per 100,000 FTEs.

-Private construction industry: Experienced a decrease of roughly 10 percent in 2010. The number of fatal construction-related work accidents has declined by 40 percent since 2006.

-Fatal Injuries caused by fires:sThese incidents have more than doubled from since the previous year. More than 100 fatal work injuries were caused by fires in 2010, which is the highest number recorded since 2003.

-Homicides: Decreased by nearly 10 percent 2010. This is the lowest number that the Bureau has ever recorded. In this category, homicide involving women increased by nearly 13 percent, however.

-Race:sAfrican-American and non-Hispanic workers experienced a 9 percent decline in 2010 in the number of fatal work injuries. Fatal work-related injuries experienced by white workers increase by about 2 percent. Hispanic or Latino workers experienced a decrease of about 4 percent.

-Police officers:sExperienced an increase of about 40 percent, more than 130 law enforcement officers died in 2010.

Employers have a responsibility to keep workers safe. Federal regulations are in place to ensure than these individuals are taking all of the proper precautions to help keep employees safe. Failure to comply with federal recommendations can result in legal consequences, fines, violations, lawsuit or potential shut down.

August 15, 2011

23-year-old Worker Crushed by Backhoe in Bangor Work Accident

by Maine Employee Rights Group

A man involved in a Bangor construction accident has died. The young man was reportedly working on a natural gas line project when he was crushed by a backhoe on Odlin Road, according to Bangor Daily News.

The 23-year-old was working for Bowdoin Excavation out of North Yarmouth and was working on a line extension project for Bangor Gas., according to WABI 5.Our Maine workers’ compensation lawyers understand the high risk construction workers face around heavy equipment. Accidents that involve these heavy machines can oftentimes be fatal. When a backhoe runs into a ditch, a stump or a hole, it can overturn or cause the operator to fall off and be run over. It is not uncommon for inexperienced driver to run into fellow workers either. This is why federal job safety standards require that operators of industrial lift-type trucks be thoroughly trained on how to operate the equipment before jumping in the driver’s seat. Under these federal standards, all workers that are under the age of 18 are prohibited from driving or operating the machinery.

“OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the Attorney General’s office, would be involved in something like this because it’s an unattended death. A medical examiner would be involved because of the nature of the incident and everybody has their part to do. We’ll at some point find out exactly what happened,” says Sgt. Chip Hodges from the Bangor Police Department.

Federal statistics report that more than 5,000 employees died at work in the United State in 2008 alone. Construction equipment operators were among the categories of workers with the highest number of fatalities during that same year, according to OSHA.

Tips for site workers to avoid an accident with a backhoe or any other hydraulic excavator:

-All workers should be trained to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions. They should also be required to execute safe work practices that apply to their specific work environments.

-All workers on the work site should be aware of the machines’ established swing areas and blind spots. Employers should keep workers on foot outside of these areas by marking them off with rope, tape or other barriers.

-Before beginning a work shift, go over and confirm communication signals between machine operators and surrounding workers.

-Workers should be prohibited from standing under suspended loads or suspended machine components such as the boom, arm or bucket.

-Workers on foot should not be allowed to approach the hydraulic excavator or backhoe loader until they receive the go-ahead signal from the operator.

-Workers should never ride in or work from excavator or backhoe loader buckets.

-All workers should have appropriate personal protective equipment. Employers should make sure that workers use and maintain this equipment.