On Oct. 2, the Reading Fire Department worked to extricate a construction worker who had temporarily been trapped under a significant quantity of building debris. The man had been working on repairing a drainage system inside a carport on Mineral Spring Road when the rear wall of the structure fell down and landed on top of him. His lower body was trapped for more than 35 minutes.
A dozen firefighters took over half an hour to free the man by using inflatable air bags to lift the heavy building rubble off of his body. Reports said the individual sustained workplace injuries that included bone damage in his lower extremities. According to the deputy fire chief, the man was in a notable amount of pain as a result of the collapse.
After being freed from the fragments of the 9-foot-high cinderblock wall, the man was transported to Reading Hospital for the treatment of unspecified injuries. The fire chief also said that the structure’s collapse would soon become the subject of an official investigation. Reports say that the man may have mistakenly struck a vulnerable point in the wall, but they failed to specify whether the tools or construction methods he was using had anything to do with the collapse.
Workplace injuries can result in serious consequences for victims. Employees may lose their ability to work while they’re recovering, and this can make it hard for them to pay the medical bills associated with their rehabilitation. In addition, it may be difficult to establish fault when their jobs send them out to work on property owned by other parties. Workers’ compensation attorneys may be able to aid these individuals by investigating employer histories and specific work sites in an effort to pursue some form of restitution.
Source: Reading Eagle, “Construction worker rescued from building collapse in Reading”, October 03, 2013