Atlanta, Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer
Atlanta personal injury lawyer blog
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Construction Companies Cited in Atlanta Botanical Gardens Tragedy That Left 1 Dead Appeal Fines
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Marietta Personal Injury Lawyer
Last weekend, on Father’s Day, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens offered a special allowing all dads in for half priced admission. But for some, it may have been hard to forget the tragedy that occurred there back in December of last year when a walkway collapse killed 1 and injured 18.
Construction workers were pouring concrete for an elevated walkway when the structure suddenly collapsed, sending workers tumbling at least 30 feet to land on a damp hillside. The fatality was 66-year-old Angel Chupin, a concrete worker employed by SDC, a Kennesaw construction company. Chupin was survived by a wife and eleven children. According to Chupin’s son Raul, his father had concerns about the scaffolding he was working on, stating that it should have been 6 feet, and not 12 feet, apart.
Chupin knew what he was talking about. The dangerous scaffolding came up again in an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA reported that four of 16 towers used in laying the concrete were too far apart and insufficiently anchored.
The accident led OSHA last week to fine three of the companies involved in the accident. Hardin Construction Company of Atlanta was fined $6,300 for their involvement in the accident. Southeast Access of Kennesaw was fined $4,900 for failure to properly inspect the towers, and Williams Erection Company of Smyrna received the largest fine, $15,050 for building the towers too tall and failing to properly brace them. The towers ranged in height from 5 feet to 35 feet.
However, at least two of the construction companies are appealing the fines. A spokesman for Hardin Construction cited the company’s exemplary safety record when commenting to the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the appeal. An earlier AJC article, though, found several instances where Hardin had been cited for multiple previous safety violations carrying thousands of dollars in fines. One of Hardin’s subcontractors, Pioneer Concrete, had also lost a man on the job before and in a later lawsuit, admitted its sole negligence in the death.
Hardin Construction and Williams Erection are both planning to appeal the fines. Federal law gives them 15 days to do so. There was no word yet from Southeast Access about whether they planned to follow suit and appeal the findings as well.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Botanical Garden is going ahead with the plans for a “Canopy Walk” – the original exhibit the construction workers were working on at the time of the collapse. Construction on the exhibit is slated to begin again late this summer with an expected opening date of 2010. The Botanical Garden plans also to dedicate a private garden to the workers and their families at the same time.
If you have been injured on the job, you have legal rights. Click here for our Worker’s Compensation page and to read further about your rights under Georgia’s Worker Compensation Laws. If you have been injured, call MLN Law at (404) 531-9700 for caring, aggressive legal representation.
Construction workers were pouring concrete for an elevated walkway when the structure suddenly collapsed, sending workers tumbling at least 30 feet to land on a damp hillside. The fatality was 66-year-old Angel Chupin, a concrete worker employed by SDC, a Kennesaw construction company. Chupin was survived by a wife and eleven children. According to Chupin’s son Raul, his father had concerns about the scaffolding he was working on, stating that it should have been 6 feet, and not 12 feet, apart.
Chupin knew what he was talking about. The dangerous scaffolding came up again in an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA reported that four of 16 towers used in laying the concrete were too far apart and insufficiently anchored.
The accident led OSHA last week to fine three of the companies involved in the accident. Hardin Construction Company of Atlanta was fined $6,300 for their involvement in the accident. Southeast Access of Kennesaw was fined $4,900 for failure to properly inspect the towers, and Williams Erection Company of Smyrna received the largest fine, $15,050 for building the towers too tall and failing to properly brace them. The towers ranged in height from 5 feet to 35 feet.
However, at least two of the construction companies are appealing the fines. A spokesman for Hardin Construction cited the company’s exemplary safety record when commenting to the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the appeal. An earlier AJC article, though, found several instances where Hardin had been cited for multiple previous safety violations carrying thousands of dollars in fines. One of Hardin’s subcontractors, Pioneer Concrete, had also lost a man on the job before and in a later lawsuit, admitted its sole negligence in the death.
Hardin Construction and Williams Erection are both planning to appeal the fines. Federal law gives them 15 days to do so. There was no word yet from Southeast Access about whether they planned to follow suit and appeal the findings as well.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Botanical Garden is going ahead with the plans for a “Canopy Walk” – the original exhibit the construction workers were working on at the time of the collapse. Construction on the exhibit is slated to begin again late this summer with an expected opening date of 2010. The Botanical Garden plans also to dedicate a private garden to the workers and their families at the same time.
If you have been injured on the job, you have legal rights. Click here for our Worker’s Compensation page and to read further about your rights under Georgia’s Worker Compensation Laws. If you have been injured, call MLN Law at (404) 531-9700 for caring, aggressive legal representation.
Labels: worker's compensation, workers compensation
Have you suffered a personal injury? Has someone damaged your person, rights, reputation, or property, either intentionally or negligently?
If so, you should contact an experienced Marietta personal injury lawyer immediately.
Michael Lawson Neff specializes in personal injury cases in areas such as inadequate security, medical malpractice, violent crime, premises liability, catastrophic events, wrongful death, worker's compensation, traumatic brain injury, and more.
Conveniently located near Lenox Square, The Law Offices of Michael Lawson Neff will help you recover all the relief that you deserve.
Why You Should Contact Michael Neff, Marietta Personal Injury Lawyer
Michael Neff is an experienced Atlanta and Marietta personal injury lawyer who has handled all facets of personal injury and civil litigation including mediation, arbitration, and trial. He is recognized as an Advocate by the National College of Advocacy and a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and its Tractor Trailer Litigation Section.
Michael Neff is also a member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, and he has been interviewed on radio for both personal injury litigation and business litigation. He graduated from George Washington University and earned his law degree (J.D.) from The Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University.
Additionally, Michael Neff truly cares about people. He is active in his community in the Marietta and Atlanta area. He has served as president of the Atlanta Junior Chamber of Commerce and leader of his Sunday school class at church.
Mr. Neff fondly recalls a heart-warming moment from his career: "One experience that I will never forget happened when a new client came in to seek help with regard to a divorce. She brought in two little ones, and told them to wait in the waiting room while she spoke to the lawyer.
"Fortunately our waiting room had coloring books and other things to distract the children. Midway through the interview I had to leave the office to get another note pad. When I walked into the hallway for the pad, I heard the little girl ask her brother, 'Where is Mommy?' Her brother, about seven or eight years old pointed at me and said, 'She is talking to that man. He is going to help her.' At that time, I realized that I had made the right decision to go to law school.
"Since I have gotten out of law school, I have formed my own practice. I focus primarily on representing those people that have been injured through no fault of their own. I still feel good when I am able to help someone get through a bad situation and get back on their feet."
If you need help getting back on your feet and recovering the relief you deserve, contact Michael Lawson Neff today.
Why You Must Act Now
If you have been injured, you must act quickly. If you delay, you could lose your right to sue for recovery. Plus, over time, important evidence may be destroyed, or access to it may become limited.
Schedule your free consultation now:
Contact Michael Neff at (404) 531-9700 or mneff@mlnlaw.com.
If so, you should contact an experienced Marietta personal injury lawyer immediately.
Michael Lawson Neff specializes in personal injury cases in areas such as inadequate security, medical malpractice, violent crime, premises liability, catastrophic events, wrongful death, worker's compensation, traumatic brain injury, and more.
Conveniently located near Lenox Square, The Law Offices of Michael Lawson Neff will help you recover all the relief that you deserve.
Why You Should Contact Michael Neff, Marietta Personal Injury Lawyer
Michael Neff is an experienced Atlanta and Marietta personal injury lawyer who has handled all facets of personal injury and civil litigation including mediation, arbitration, and trial. He is recognized as an Advocate by the National College of Advocacy and a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and its Tractor Trailer Litigation Section.
Michael Neff is also a member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, and he has been interviewed on radio for both personal injury litigation and business litigation. He graduated from George Washington University and earned his law degree (J.D.) from The Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University.
Additionally, Michael Neff truly cares about people. He is active in his community in the Marietta and Atlanta area. He has served as president of the Atlanta Junior Chamber of Commerce and leader of his Sunday school class at church.
Mr. Neff fondly recalls a heart-warming moment from his career: "One experience that I will never forget happened when a new client came in to seek help with regard to a divorce. She brought in two little ones, and told them to wait in the waiting room while she spoke to the lawyer.
"Fortunately our waiting room had coloring books and other things to distract the children. Midway through the interview I had to leave the office to get another note pad. When I walked into the hallway for the pad, I heard the little girl ask her brother, 'Where is Mommy?' Her brother, about seven or eight years old pointed at me and said, 'She is talking to that man. He is going to help her.' At that time, I realized that I had made the right decision to go to law school.
"Since I have gotten out of law school, I have formed my own practice. I focus primarily on representing those people that have been injured through no fault of their own. I still feel good when I am able to help someone get through a bad situation and get back on their feet."
If you need help getting back on your feet and recovering the relief you deserve, contact Michael Lawson Neff today.
Why You Must Act Now
If you have been injured, you must act quickly. If you delay, you could lose your right to sue for recovery. Plus, over time, important evidence may be destroyed, or access to it may become limited.
Schedule your free consultation now:
Contact Michael Neff at (404) 531-9700 or mneff@mlnlaw.com.
Labels: atlanta medical malpractice, Georgia personal injury lawyer, traumatic brain injury, worker's compensation, wrongful death
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