Settlement Reached From Two Falls On Consecutive Days

Settlement Reached from Two Falls on Consecutive Days

Two ironworkers fell from the same roof on two consecutive days at a construction site in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.  A settlement in the amount of $3.85 million was reached with the general contractor, R.E. Crawford Construction, Inc. and the construction manager, Zamias Services, Inc., of a project. 

Lavern Breon was lying steel decking on a roof when a coworker asked him to switch places.  He began to walk across the deck to the coworker, the deck slid out from under him and he fell 22 feet to the ground.  Mr. Breon was not wearing a harness for fall protection at the time of the accident.  He suffered fractures to his left foot, left leg and spinal injuries. 

Mr. Breon’s fall occurred on a Friday and Brian K. Phillips, Sr. was his replacement on the following Monday. 

Mr. Phillips was wearing a safety harness hooked by cables to anchor points.  However, he was forced to unhook the harness and move to another location because the cables were too short.  Mr. Phillips fell 22 feet to the ground, landing on his head. He suffered massive brain trauma and was in a coma for more than a month before dying.

The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants failed to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations as well as R.E. Crawford’s own safety manual.  They also alleged that the defendants were not properly trained in safety procedures and failed to take safety precautions even after Lavern Breon fell. 

Defendant R.E. Crawford stated that the construction manager was responsible for supervising and controlling the work done at the job site. If you or someone you love has been in an accident at a construction site due to unsafe working conditions, call the construction accident attorneys of Pittsburgh, PA.