Recent Crane Incidents in Texas Give Rise to Safety Questions

DALLAS, TX, July 25, 2012

Construction of the 420,000 square-foot Paragon Outlet Mall in Grand Prairie, Texas, is set to open late this summer - a boon for the city of Grand Prairie - but in 2011 it was the site of a fatal accident involving a crane and falling wall panels. The victim, Sean Taylor, was a master welder who once served in the U.S. Navy, and was part of the construction crew erecting the walls, when the crane caused a deadly chain reaction.

Rob Crain is representing the Taylor family in a wrongful death claim. As Chris Hawes reports for WFAA-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth, Crain said, "One panel was knocked into an adjacent panel, causing that panel to fall onto Sean."

Sean died of crushing injuries.

While Grand Prairie's Director of Economic Development, Bob O'Neal, said the mall is "a real positive for our city," the 2011 fatal crane incident left Sean's wife widowed and their four children fatherless.

It's hard to put a number on this loss.

Construction workers must deal with dangerous conditions. They're often at risk of getting seriously injured or killed in construction accidents. As Michael Lindenberger reports for the Dallas Morning News, two construction workers lost their lives in a recent July 7 crane incident on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

The workers were in the process of dismantling a crane used in the construction of the 155,000 square foot Arts and Technology Building for UTD when the crane collapsed.

According to the son of one of the workers who died, risk is part of the job. "Working cranes you always understand or have in the back of your head it could potentially happen," said Derek Weaver, as Charles Bassett reports for KDAF-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth. "He loved heights."

Risk can be a part of any construction job. A job involving cranes is no exception. But, in both the Paragon Outlet Mall and UTD crane incidents, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration came to determine the cause.

As for Sean Taylor and the family he left behind in 2011, attorney Rob Crain said, "The family wanted to get some answers to what happened." Whenever a construction accident occurs, answers are often exactly what a grieving family needs.

Article provided by Attorney Robert Crain
Crain Lewis, LLP
Texas Personal Injury Law Firm
Website: http://pi.dfwattorneys.com