falling pillar traps laborer | Northern California Personal Injury Blog

San Francisco Construction Accident Traps Worker After Pillar Collapses

By Kelly Balamuth on July 21, 2010

Construction sites, whether large or small, need to be as safe as possible in order to ensure that workers are not placed in harm’s way. Safety rules and regulations are designed to help achieve hazard-free working conditions, and these rules must be followed in order to minimize the potential for injury. According to a recent ktvu.com article, a failure to comply with such rules may have led to an injury incident at a private residence in Seacliff.

Reportedly, the owner of the San Francisco residence was having renovations made to the exterior of the house. Although the contractor involved had obtained a permit for work to be done, the permit did not allow for the full scope of the work that was actually going to take place. A worker became trapped underneath concrete and dirt after a pillar collapsed on the property. Luckily, the worker, who was trapped for nearly four hours, was not seriously injured in the construction accident. The worker was found to be in good condition at the time of his excavation and was released from the hospital later that same day.

Construction work has been shut down at this point by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), who is currently conducting an investigation into the Walnut Creek construction accident. While the most important thing here is that no one was seriously hurt, negligence on the part of contractors at the site could have led to serious personal injury for a job site worker. Contractors have a responsibility to provide a secure work environment, any failure to do so could be considered negligence.

If you’ve been injured in a Northern California construction accident, an experienced Northern California personal injury lawyer may be able to help you obtain compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other damages. At Balamuth Harrington, LLP, our skilled San Francisco construction accident attorneys will fight to ensure that your rights as a victim are not infringed upon in a court of law, and will hold negligent businesses and contractors accountable for their actions. For more information and a free consultation of your case, please do not hesitate to contact us today at 888-254-1234.