.png)
Luis Caraballo, 18, died in a tragic workplace accident on March 16 at a private garbage firm in Brooklyn, New York, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began an investigation of Chamber Paper Fibres Corp. following the incident.
According to police reports, Caraballo was crushed to death by a garbage compactor on the back of a truck. He was rushed to Long Island College Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“The purpose of OSHA’s inspection is to determine if there were any violations of workplace safety standards in connection with this incident,” OSHA’s Edmund Fitzgerald told reporters at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “At this time it’s too early to estimate a completion date for OSHA’s inspection. By law, an inspection can take no longer than 180 days.”
There are obviously many questions surrounding this tragic accident. Were there no safeguards in place to prevent Caraballo from being crushed by the compactor? Was operator error by the truck driver, compact operator or Caraballo himself to blame?
“I want answers,” says Dalia Gervacio, Carballo’s mother.
[D1] If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident at work, contact our Columbus workers comp attorney immediately. You do not have to wait for the completion of an investigation—whether it is by OSHA, law enforcement or internal—to file for workers comp.
Tip of the week: According to the US Department of Labor, 4,609 workers were killed on the job in 2011. Follow safety standards and ensure you have proper protective equipment.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp lawyers