An 83-year-old construction worker suffered a serious injury that required hospitalization following a workplace accident late last month. The incident happened at the Bell Works construction zone, where a multi-use property is being constructed in Holmdel, New Jersey.
News reports indicate that the elderly man was paving asphalt on a driveway when his paving machine struck a lip of concrete where the driveway meets with the roadway. The collision caused the paving machine to fly up into the air and throw the man off if it. He was then trapped beneath the machine, between it and the hot, fresh-laid asphalt.
A coworker rushed to the man’s assistance, stopping the machine and getting it off the man. Emergency responders soon arrived and transported the injured construction worker to the Jersey Shore medical Center. There, he was treated for burns and other serious injuries. Later, he was transferred to Philadelphia’s Temple University Hospital.
Authorities are investigating how this accident may have occurred, how the man was thrown off his asphalt laying machine and if better workplace procedures could have prevented this incident from happening. At this time, it is unknown if any Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations may have played a role in the accident.
Fortunately, this man — as a worker at a New Jersey construction site — will likely be able to receive workers’ compensation benefits to pay for the costly medical care associated with his injuries. Furthermore, he will probably be able to get wage-replacement benefits to pay for living expenses while he is unable to work.
Source: Patch, “Serious Construction Accident In Holmdel Leaves 83-Year-Old Man Hospitalized,” Katie Kausch, Oct. 31, 2016