MIAMI, FL—Officials are expected to investigate a recent
on-the-job accident that claimed the life of an
Osmose Railroad Services employee from Michigan on Feb. 14. According to the Florida Times-Union, a
railroad worker was in the midst of conducting repairs on a railroad trestle below the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, Fla. when—for unknown reasons— he slipped from the bed of a boom truck, struck his head and ended up in the St. John’s River.
Upon
falling from the train trestle bridge, 42-year-old railroad worker Peter Jerome Michnick remained
submerged underwater for approximately 5 minutes. Reports indicated a boater in the area retrieved the
victim and two of his co-workers—who apparently jumped into the St. John’s River to try and save him— and transported them to a nearby dock.
While the badly
injured worker was rushed to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center following the
Jacksonville accident, his
fall-related injuries ultimately proved fatal at the hospital. Investigations into the
fatal on-the-job accident are ongoing.
According to standards set by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
“Employees working over or near water, where the danger of drowning exists, shall be provided with U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket or buoyant work vests… Prior to and after each use, the buoyant work vests or life preservers shall be inspected for defects which would alter their strength or buoyancy. Defective units shall not be used.” OSHA regulations also state,
“Ring buoys with at least 90 feet of line shall be provided and readily available for emergency rescue operations. Distance between ring buoys shall not exceed 200 feet” and “at least one lifesaving skiff shall be immediately available at locations where employees are working over or adjacent to water.”About the Miami injury lawyers and railroad accident attorneys of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso, Spier & Connolly, P.A. For more than thirty years, the knowledgeable
Miami injury law firm of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso, Spier & Connolly, P.A. has represented accident victims who suffer serious injuries in car crashes, bus accidents, railroad accidents and other transportation disasters caused by the negligence of another party. With extensive experience litigating the complex personal injury and wrongful death claims of negligence victims and their families, the
South Florida injury attorneys of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso, Spier & Connolly, P.A. strive to provide justice to their clients so that they may obtain the compensation they truly deserve.