A woman driving a tractor-trailer collided with a bucket truck in New Jersey shortly after 11 a.m. on Aug. 19. An electrical worker for the City of Camden’s Electrical Bureau who was performing traffic light repairs from the bucket suffered critical injuries and was rushed to Cooper University Hospital following the collision.
According to police, the top of the tractor-trailer struck the bucket as it was passing under a traffic light close to the intersection of Mt. Ephraim Avenue and Everett Street. The bucket scraped along the roof of the tractor-trailer and overturned, throwing the electrician onto the roof where he then fell to the ground.
The truck driver remained at the scene as authorities conducted their investigations. No charges or citations against the woman were reported yet.
Electrical maintenance workers often work among exceptionally hazardous conditions. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has outlined practices that are meant to help workers avert some of these potentially fatal obstacles. Among these guidelines is the use of protective equipment such as a harness that could keep an employee on an aerial lift from suffering a potentially fatal fall if ejected. However, even if these precautions are put into place, there is still some risk of injury.
An injured worker could obtain workers’ compensation coverage for medical expenses and lost work opportunities following a job-site accident. An attorney experienced in the handling of these claims may guide an injured worker in filing paperwork in order to expedite the process. If an insurance provider denies a workers’ compensation claim, the attorney might appeal the matter on the worker’s behalf in an informal or formal hearing.
Source: Occupational Safety & Health Administration, “Aerial Lifts Safety Tips”
Source: WPVI, “Tractor trailer hits bucket truck in Camden; worker critically injured“, Sara Bloomquist, August 19, 2014
Source: WPVI, “Tractor trailer hits bucket truck in Camden; worker critically injured“, Sara Bloomquist, August 19, 2014