The Cleveland Daily Banner reports that an investigation into an accident involving the Bradley County Road Department resulting in a woman losing her legs has revealed a serious safety violation.
According to the newspaper, earlier this year, a worker lost both of her legs when an unmanned dump truck rolled backwards at a department garage and into a garden area, where she and another employee were working.
Officials with the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) investigated the incident. They found that the driver of the truck had pulled the vehicle in front of the department garage while he and other employees got out for lunch.
The vehicle began to roll backwards and workers tried to stop it, but by the time they got to the truck, it had already struck the woman and rolled into a ditch. The worker responsible for parking the truck reportedly did not apply its emergency parking brake and left it in gear.
Officials with TOSHA checked the vehicle’s emergency brake following the incident and found that it was functional. However, the agency said that the county failed to adequately train the employees prior to allowing them to use vehicles.
“The employer failed to provide employees with the necessary safety training required before operating a motor vehicle and failed to protect employees from the recognized hazards associated with small dump trucks or similar medium-duty trucks,” TOSHA noted, according to the Daily Banner.
No fine was reported and the county said it has since trained employees on the topic of braking following the accident.
IF YOU ARE INJURED AT WORK, HAVE AN INCIDENT INVESTIGATED INDEPENDENTLY
When an accident takes place on the job resulting in serious injuries including amputation, make sure you have the incident investigated.
A complete investigation should not only include one performed by local or federal investigators, it should include an independent inquiry, through an attorney, who may be able to help you pursue a workers’ compensation claim or a lawsuit.
By holding an employer liable following a workplace accident, you may be able to help improve the safety conditions of your coworkers, while receiving compensation to help pay for your medical bills.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26