West Virginia railroad tunnel collapse kills worker

2009-10-24 04:56:25 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Construction Accidents, Justice News Flash)

Legal news for West Virginia construction accident attorneys. A worker operating an excavator was killed when a portion of the tunnel collapsed.

Occupational Health and Safety Administration alerts Virginia construction accident lawyers- A construction accident killed a worker when a railroad tunnel collapsed.

Mingo County, West Virginia—A Johnson Western Gunite Construction worker tragically died while working on a Norfolk & Southern Railroad tunnel on Thursday morning, October 22, 2009. The fatal construction happened occurred inside Tunnel #4 around 5:15 a.m., in Stepptown, as reported by WSAZ.

The Kermit Volunteer Fire Department reported, an unidentified worker was operating an excavator while conducting maintenance work on the roof of Tunnel #4, when a section of the roof collapsed. The collapse reportedly left a 40 to 100-foot hole in the roof of the tunnel, and created nearly 50-60 tons of concrete and rock debris from the collapse. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by responding emergency medical professionals. It reportedly took rescue teams almost two hours to recover the victim from the collapse. Officials believe the worker was probably crushed to death by the fallen rock in the tunnel. Officials reported there were no other workers injured while in the tunnel. Officials with the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration are conducting a full investigation into the fatal tunnel collapse. Norfolk and Southern Officials are at the scene of the construction accident, but have not commented on the fatal accident at this time.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for West Virginia construction accident lawyers.