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Tape measure falls 50 stories and kills man

On Behalf of | Nov 12, 2014 | Workers' Compensation

At around 9 a.m. on Nov. 3, a man in New Jersey was killed by a falling tape measure. The work site accident occurred while the victim was delivering some sheet rock to a construction project in downtown Jersey City. When a tape measure weighing one pound fell off of a worker’s belt 50 stories up, the item ricocheted off some construction equipment before fatally striking the 58-year-old man in the head.

Before the accident took place, a worker who was sitting in a pickup truck had been speaking with the victim. The victim was rushed to a hospital after he was hit, but he succumbed to his injuries a little before 10 a.m. According to police, the man was not wearing any head protection at the time of the accident though he had a hard hat that had been sitting in his truck. It is unclear if the man’s family has filed for workers’ compensation death benefits.

The deceased man was employed by a North Carolina-based company called National Gypsum prior to his death. A company spokesperson confirmed that the man was bringing a National Gypsum product to the accident scene, but he was working for a trucking company at the time. Workers at the site were involved in the construction of two 50-story apartment buildings and a hotel.

After someone is killed in a workplace accident, family members may file for workers’ compensation death benefits through the employer’s insurance plan. Many families also choose to consult an attorney in order to determine whether any non-employer third parties were directly responsible for the accident. If so, then in some cases the family may be able to file a personal injury claim to seek additional compensation.

Source: CBS News, “Falling tape measure kills construction worker in N.J.“, November 03, 2014

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