Rhode Island Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Workers on a construction site know that the work they perform can be dangerous. They might be asked to dangle from heights, work with dangerous power tools, or perch on exposed ledges. These workers must take personal care to avoid an accident, but they also rely on the general contractor and the homeowner to follow all applicable safety regulations. 

Recently, the family of a 69-year old worker, who was killed in a construction accident on a remodeling job, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the general contractor and the property owner. The deceased man's daughter alleged that her father would not have fallen through an opening on a deck straight down to the basement eight feet below if the defendants had followed safety standards and codes. She claimed that a safety railing should have been installed around the gap to prevent her father from tumbling. The defendants disagreed that they had done anything wrong and suggested that the man may have fallen due to a heart attack. In an effort to avoid the uncertainties of litigation, the parties settled the case for the sum of $120,000. 

People who visit their local drugstore or pharmacy know that there is a remote, but possible, chance that they could be caught in an emergency situation. For instance, an electrical fire could break out, a mentally unstable person might cause violence, or the building structure could be damaged causing heavy merchandise or shelving to fall on shoppers. In such a case, customers would rely on employees and store management to implement a plan designed to protect safety and well-being. If the store does not have an emergency plan, the problems could escalate, resulting in customer injury, as well as premises liability for the company.

Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited CVS Pharmacy for failure to maintain an emergency protocol in one of its stores. The citation comes as a second violation after the same problem was noted in two other stores over the last three years, including a CVS location in Providence, Rhode Island. Company officials responded that they prioritize worker and shopper safety, but they did not comment on the specific allegations. Failure to comply with the citation could result in a $40,000 fine for CVS.

There are few things more annoying than trying to turn on the television, check the internet, or make a telephone call and realizing that there is no connection. Rhode Islanders rely on modern communication methods for business and personal use. When connectivity issues occur, people expect the technology server to immediately fix the problem by accessing the necessary cable and wires. Little thought is given to the substantial dangers faced by the individuals who must perform the critical maintenance and repairs.

Recently a 41-year old Verizon worker was fatally wounded in a workplace accident while accessing wires from a bucket attached to his vehicle. Local officials, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, company representatives, and National Grid researchers are all investigating the accident, but it appears that high tension wires, strung above the ones used for cable and television, rubbed against the bucket. The contact resulted in a fire and subsequent explosion, the noise of which alerted a neighbor to the crisis. When rescue workers reached the scene, they found that the victim had been ejected from the bucket and died immediately.

If you drive around Providence or Pawtucket, you may recall that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation installed $250,000-worth of reflectors, pavement markers and warning signs on I-95 a couple of years ago. Using federal highway funds, the improvements were made to targeted, curvy areas of the freeway, including near Thurbers Avenue in Providence, and along some "S" curves and near Londsdale Avenue in Pawtucket.

The goal was to reduce the toll from the serious and deadly car accidents that were occurring virtually daily in those areas. Did it work?

A news crew from NBC 10's I Team recently decided to find out, and the news was generally good. Although total car accidents on the curves actually increased by 28 percent last year, crashes with injuries were down by 49 percent.