Articles Posted in Construction Injuries

A Chicago construction worker was killed earlier this month when he was struck by a semi-trailer truck in Forest View, IL. The fatal Chicago workplace injury occurred at the Harlem off ramp of the Stevenson expressway on September 17, 2010, around 3:00 p.m. The worker was reportedly repairing a barrier fence when he was fatally struck by the semi truck. He was working for the Illinois Department of Transportation at the time of the truck accident.

The fatally wounded worker was pronounced dead at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL, at 5:29 p.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. A subsequent autopsy determined that the death was caused by the collision with the truck and that the death was accidental. The driver of the truck was issued two citations for failing to stop in a construction area, making an improper turn, and disobeying a traffic control device. The truck accident investigation is now being handled by the Forest View authorities with help from state accident reconstruction personnel. The workplace accident serves as a sobering reminder of how dangerous construction zone accidents can be.

A construction worker was killed last Tuesday when the Bobcat front-end loader that he was operating plunged seven stories. The fatal Chicago construction accident occurred at a Chicago Housing Authority demolition project in the 2400 block of South State Street. According to published reports, the victim was pinned between the Bobcat and the ground around 9:30 a.m. Investigators from OSHA have revealed that the victim was in the Bobcat at the time of the fall. He was reportedly unresponsive when emergency crews arrived. The accident occurred at a six building project site that is expected to be completed by this December.

The construction accident victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:08 a.m. One eyewitness was quoted as saying “They had to use a crane to lift him out. They put him in the ambulance after that they put the collar on his neck and everything. He didn’t look too good. He wasn’t moving.” Chicago police are still investigating the tragic construction fatality.

The Illinois Supreme Court recently resolved two lawsuits stemming from a deadly Peoria, IL, bridge collapse. On April 24, 2000, scaffolding broke away from Peoria’s McClugage Bridge killing three workers and injuring several others. The injured workers and the surviving family members of those deceased were able to collect workers’ compensation benefits as a result of the accident. At least four of the injured workers also attempted to collect civil damages through personal injury lawsuits filed against the construction joint venture that was handling the bridge rehabilitation. The Illinois Supreme Court determined that the injured workers could not file a civil suit against the joint venture thereby extending the immunity that protects an employer paying a workers’ compensation claim.

The bridge rehabilitation was handled by a joint venture of the Springfield, IL, based Halvorson Construction Company and the Tremont, IL, based Midwest Foundation. The joint venture entity, named Midwest Foundation/Halvorson, was commissioned to rehabilitate the McClugage Bridge as it extends over the Illinois River. The joint venture agreement required Midwest Foundation to pay the workers’ compensation premiums, which were to be reimbursed by the joint venture. The Illinois high court determined that the civil lawsuits cannot proceed under this joint venture structure. Writing for the majority, Justice Lloyd Karmeier determined that the immunity from civil suits granted to an employer paying a workers’ compensation claim for on-the-job injuries extends to joint ventures or partners in a joint venture. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Thomas Kilbride determined that such immunity should not extend to Midwest Foundation if that entity was never reimbursed from the joint venture for paying out the workers’ compensation premiums. Daniel O’Connor, the attorney for the workers, said he was disappointed by the ruling.

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Prior to becoming a personal injury attorney and setting up his own Chicago law firm, Attorney Joseph G. Klest was a construction worker and a proud member of the Illinois Brotherhood of Electric Workers. He knows what it is like to do hard, physical work for a living. He has seen the kinds of injuries that can happen when you are doing your job.

Mr. Klest understands how devastating it can be when someone who is the family wage earner can no longer make a living. He knows how frustrating it is to get hurt at work because of circumstances beyond one’s control. He understands how necessary it is for an injured person to do what can be done to become whole again.

At Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law, we will do what we can to obtain for you the best result possible in your construction accident case so that you can obtain the financial resources you need to recover and take care of your family. Chicago construction accident Attorney Klest represents victims who have been injured in accidents in Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, Will County, and anywhere else in Illinois.