Worker Killed Near SD Airport
A man died, apparently from being crushed by falling rebar, near the San Diego airport while working on a job site, according to recent reports. The 29-year-old construction worker, who has not been identified, was working at the site of a new rental car center near the San Diego International Airport and was climbing on the rebar to pour concrete forms when the structure collapsed, pinning him beneath rebar and fallen concrete.
Although his co-workers heard him yelling and rushed to the scene, detaching his safety harness and calling 911 immediately, they were unable to save him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim worked for Austin/Sundt Joint Venture, a company that is building a $223 million consolidated rental center at the San Diego airport. The worksite has been closed pending an investigation into the accident.
Construction Accidents: Falls and the “Big Four”
Of the 4,175 workers who were killed on the job in 2012, 806 of them worked in construction. This makes construction one of the leading areas in which workers are killed, accounting for 19.3 percent of all worker fatalities. Only car accidents claim a larger percentage of victims each year as workers drive for their employers.
Construction deaths are usually caused by one of the “Fatal Four.” These causes make up more than half of all construction deaths and are most often the focus of investigations into unsafe work sites. They include:
- Falls. Falls from heights or falls after tripping over something accounted for 34.6 percent or 279 of the total 806 construction deaths in 2012.
- Struck by Object. Approximately 9.8 percent or 79 people who died in construction accidents were struck by some type of object.
- Electrocutions. About 8.1 percent or 66 of the 806 deaths in 2012 were caused by electrocution.
- Caught-in/between. At least 13 people, or 1.6 percent of the total deaths, were caught in or between an object or piece of machinery that led to injury.
Daniel M. Gilleon has been helping those who are suffering from injuries or who have lost loved ones in construction and other workplace accidents for many years. Contact the offices of Daniel M. Gilleon in San Diego for more information on how to protect yourself after a workplace accident and possibly collect damages such as payment of medical bills, compensation for pain and suffering and other expenses such as lost wages.
