In Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, there are many workers who make their living in the manual labor industry. Whether working with machines, dangerous products or extreme heights the workers are subjected to conditions much more life-threatening than in other lines of work. These workers perform and work hard in order to bring a decent wage home to support their families. This is why it is such a tragedy when a PA worker dies due to a work related death at a steel plant not far outside of Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened at a nearby steel plant. While the specifics of the man’s death are not known to the public, we do know this. The man was burned in a quench tower after falling into water in excess of 150 degrees. Unfortunately, the incident caused his death 2 weeks later.
The family has filed suit and has names several defendants that they believe are responsible for the death of their loved one.
Basically, the lawsuit includes claims for wrongful death and negligence due to the actions of the multiple defendants. The lawsuit claims that the companies failed to provide adequate climbing assistance devices, trench covers and guardrails to better protect the man who lost his life. Such safety equipment and precautionary measures may very well have prevented the man from falling into the high temperature water. Such safety measures seem like a reasonable precaution that could have been taken by the companies in charge.
If the multiple defendants are found at fault for the wrongful death of the worker, they will be responsible for monetary and emotional loss to the family. A financial settlement will not bring back the man who lost his life but it may help the family who needs to make ends meet. The man likely had numerous medical bills after his two-week stay in the hospital before his death. Proving negligence in a wrongful death suit can help to ease the burden of these expenses for the family.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Man’s family files lawsuit over fatal accident at U.S. Steel plant,” Dec. 21, 2015