Personal Injury Attorney With The Lietz Law Firm Remarks On Second Deadly Accident At 49ers Stadium Site

Washington, D.C. (Law Firm Newswire) November 21, 2013 – A stadium construction site near San Francisco was the scene of a deadly accident for the second time in four months.

The stadium will be the new home of the San Francisco 49ers football team in Santa Clara, Calif. On a recent Monday morning, truck driver Edward Lake Jr., 60, of Vacaville, Calif., had just delivered a load of materials to the construction site, when he was crushed by a bundle of rebar that fell as workers unloaded it from his truck.

“Construction zones are uniquely hazardous places,” said Washington, D.C. personal injury attorney David Lietz, who is not involved in the case. “Construction workers in the U.S. are extensively trained in safety procedures. Even when procedures are properly observed, accidents happen. The question facing the victim’s family and the companies involved is, ‘Were safety procedures observed and followed in the time leading up to this accident?’”

Investigators were on scene to attempt to answer that question. Jonathan Harvey, spokesman for construction firm Turner/Devcon, which is building the stadium, only commented to say the company officials were “deeply saddened” by the loss and that their thoughts were with Lake’s family.

Work has stopped while the accident is investigated. Construction on the stadium is slated to be completed just weeks before it hosts the 50th Super Bowl in February 2016. The deadline has necessitated an accelerated pace of work.

“I imagine the decision to stop work on the stadium was difficult for management, but it is absolutely the right thing to do,” Lietz added. “Construction workers need to feel safe at work if they are expected to do their job properly.”

In June 2013, Donald White, 63, an elevator mechanic, was killed at the stadium when he was struck by an elevator counterweight. White had over 40 years’ experience as an elevator mechanic and was an employee of Schindler Elevator Corp.

The Santa Clara stadium is some 40 miles south of the 49ers’ current home, Candlestick Park, which it is replacing.