In January 2011, one Philadelphia area man was injured and another was killed in a deadly construction accident. The two men were working at a job site in Allentown Pennsylvania early on January morning.
Subcontractors Michael Wilson, 20, and his best friend Otis Smothers, 21 were installing electrical conduit into the Linden Street Bridge between Fourth Street and American Parkway during what was supposed to be just another day of usual construction work.
The tragic construction accident occurred around 8:40 a.m. according to reports when a part of the trench that the two men were working inside suddenly gave way causing chunks of concrete and gavel to fall and partially bury them. Initially, authorities weren’t sure what caused the collapse.
Michael Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene after being pinned under heavy concrete debris for hours. Allentown, Pennsylvania police, firefighters, and emergency workers worked as quickly as they could to try save him to no avail.
Authorities were able to rescue Otis Smothers around 10 a.m., just a few hours after the initial accident. Smothers was taken to nearby Lehigh Valle Hospital-Cedar Crest for severe personal injuries. He was treated for severe cuts and damage to his shoulder and was listed in serious but stable condition upon his arrival.
The top Philadelphia injury lawyers note that thousands of construction workers are either killed or injured each year. Construction workers or their families may be entitled to compensation for hospital and medical expenses, past and future lost earning, past and future permanent physical disability, emotional distress, loss of love and companionship, damage or destruction of property, physical pain and suffering, or loss of enjoyment of life.