A serious accident happened at a massive high speed train construction project north of Fresno late last month. The incident left five workers injured after a tower fell over. Two of the workers needed hospital care for their injuries. The California Highway Patrol said that the workers’ injuries were moderate and the worst of them may have involved a back fracture.
According to the CHP, they were continuing their investigations into the incident because the accident happened on state property. The CHP says that a tower constructed out of steel rods came tumbling down in the incident. Cal OSHA has also given their explanation of what happened, saying that rebar fell down and five employees were hurt. Cal OSHA is investigating the extent and nature of the injury portion of this case. Once a Cal OSHA investigation begins, the agency will have another six months before it must file its decisions and any citations regarding the matter.
The extent of what we know so far is that the rebar tower that fell was going to be the base of a concrete support structure to build a bridge to cross the San Joaquin River. The build location is one of 17 that are currently under construction along the 29-mile section of track that workers are currently building. One thousand five hundred employees are currently working on the project and a large portion of them hail from Fresno County.
The California High-Speed Rail project has been ongoing for the last three years. Fortunately, this incident is the first significant one during this time.
Following a workplace accident, California workers can pursue financial assistance to pay for their medical care by filing a workers’ compensation claim. However, it’s important they file their workers’ compensation appropriately to receive the maximum amount of benefits available.
Source: abc30.com, “Five High Speed Rail workers injured in construction accident, Cal OSHA says,” Gene Haagenson, Nov. 21, 2017
