Construction Worker Injured By Falling Equipment

Case Overview

This case involves a construction worker that was severely injured while working on a highway construction project in Minnesota. The project required the installation of concrete jersey barriers. As the barrier was being placed by a crane vehicle, it fell from a height of about 9 feet, crushing a construction worker who was monitoring the placement. The worker suffered permanent head and back injuries and is no longer able to work. An expert in construction equipment and site management was sought to review the case and determine liability for this accident.

Questions to the Construction Safety expert and their responses

Please explain your experience managing construction sites.

I have worked as a construction manager and engineer for the last 23 years and have an additional 17 years of construction claims experience.

Are you familiar with concrete jersey barriers and how an improperly placed barrier can result in injuries?

I have used concrete jersey barriers for over 100 projects involving highways, bridges, and steel mills, and am well-experienced in the placement of these types of barriers. For projects that I have worked on as a manager, I would coordinate with the OSHA person in charge regarding the placement of barriers and injury prevention. From the description, the secure strapping of the concrete jersey barrier seems to be the primary issue that could cause injuries.

About the expert

This expert has over 35 years of experience with construction management. He gained his BS in electrical engineering from Point Park University and is a licensed electrical engineer. Currently, he is the president of a construction consulting company in Pennsylvania. Formerly, he worked as a construction/installation engineer at local steel and aluminum mills, light rail transit projects, and chemical plant projects for Dravo Corporation and Comstock Inc. In addition, he helped design and construct capital projects as a project manager at R.T. Patterson Company, and served as an executive manager at Zurich Construction Risk Engineering.