Attorney
A 38-year-old worker fell approximately 80 feet while painting a water tower in Culpeper, Virginia, last month. Rescue workers airlifted the man to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. A second worker was hanging from a safety harness, but responders were able to rescue him and he was not injured. The work accident happened at a town-owned water tower around 9:45 a.m. The man who fell was conscious at the scene. He was talking to rescue personnel shortly after the fall.
The two workers were on a scaffold suspended by cables. At the time of the fall, the scaffold was near the top of the tower, approximately 80 feet above ground. The cable supporting the scaffolding connected to the top of the tower by a loop in the cable secured with a crimp connection. The crimp was not tight enough and became loose, resulting in the fall.
One witness said the containment tarp helped break the man’s fall. Representatives from the federal Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the incident.
If you suffer an injury on the job, you may be entitled to workers compensation benefits that will pay for your medical treatment and expenses. This area of law may seem complex, but an experienced Northern Virginia workers comp lawyer can help you. Contact Peter DePaolis, a Virginia workers compensation attorney at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis.