Federal authorities ordered Don M. Barron Contractor to pay over $152,000 in fines after investigators determined that bosses sent workers into a potentially dangerous work injury situation; two of them fell seriously ill after they inhaled toxic fumes.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued seven safety citations: six for serious violations and one for a willful violation. Investigators concluded that the company sent sewer workers into a confined space without first testing the atmosphere. Two employees completely lost consciousness and were rushed to nearby hospitals. “This employer must take responsibility for making sure these types of injuries and the potential for loss of life do not happen again,” declared OSHA area director Dorinda Folse. [Read more…] about Reckless Injuries To Sewer Workers
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Buckle Your Seat Belt In Texas And Louisiana
The Lone Star State and Bayou State share a dubious distinction, because according to an insurance company survey, they are the two most dangerous states in the Union, in terms of motor vehicle accidents.
Texas moved from fourth to first on the list, and it is the only state among the top fifteen in all five categories, including drunk driving, speeding, and fatalities per miles driven. In fact, there has been at least one motor vehicle accident fatality on a Texas roadway every day for the last 55,000-plus consecutive days, a period covering sixteen years. Here in Louisiana, failure to obey traffic signals and distracted driving are among the primary culprits, and the Bayou State also ranks near the top (or the bottom, depending on your perspective) in terms of fatalities per miles driven.
South Carolina, North Dakota, Delaware, New Mexico, Nevada, Alabama, Arizona and Montana are the other top-ten most dangerous states. [Read more…] about Buckle Your Seat Belt In Texas And Louisiana
I-10 Crash Kills Good Samaritan And Seriously Injures Driver
A runaway tractor-trailer killed a bystander as he tried to help a stranded motorist re-attach a U-Haul trailer to her vehicle.
According to Louisiana State Police, the large truck wreck occurred on westbound Interstate 10 in Henderson. As 26-year-old Tanika Adams, of Jacksonville, Fla., pulled a trailer with her Volkswagen Tiguan, it came loose and blocked the outside lane. Ms. Adams pulled to the shoulder and then tried to pull the stranded trailer out of the traffic lane; a short time thereafter, 25-year-old Vineeth Keesara, of Lafayette, stopped and rendered assistance. A few moments later, an oncoming Perterbilt tractor-trailer slammed into the disabled trailer, instantly killing Mr. Keesara and seriously injuring Ms. Adams. [Read more…] about I-10 Crash Kills Good Samaritan And Seriously Injures Driver
Gruesome Highway Crash Kills One
A pickup truck ran over a woman in the road after she was ejected from her car in a vehicle crash.
The wreck occurred on southbound U.S. Highway 61 between Kenner and Laplace. Per Louisiana State Police, 20-year-old Angelica Matamoros drifted across the center line and collided with 23-year-old Norman Porter, who driving an SUV. Ms. Matamoros was not restrained and was ejected from her vehicle. As she lay on the ground, 28-year-old Justin Hunter ran over the woman. Ms. Matamoros was pronounced dead at the scene.
State police opine that if she had been wearing her seat belt, the woman may have survived. “Motorists are encouraged to make the smart choice and to always wear their seat belt,” police said in a news release. [Read more…] about Gruesome Highway Crash Kills One
Court Orders 'Immature And Stupid" Drivers To Pay $5.5 Million
An East Baton Rouge court closed the book on a 2013 serious injury collision that killed five people.
Citing their “immaturity and stupidity,” District Judge William Morvant ordered 34-year-old David Leger and 27-year-old Kelsye Hall to pay $5.5 million to the families of the five victims. According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Leger and Ms. Hall played a high-speed game of “cat and mouse” after a road rage incident. Mr. Leger, whose BAC was well above the legal limit, lost control of his pickup truck. The vehicle shot across Interstate 10’s grassy median and smashed into Effie Fontenot’s car. The ensuing fireball killed all five people in the car. [Read more…] about Court Orders 'Immature And Stupid" Drivers To Pay $5.5 Million
The Bayou State: A Great Place To Work
The workplace accident rate in Louisiana dropped to its lowest rate in fourteen years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Only the District of Columbia had a lower workplace accident rate than Louisiana’s 1.9 per 100 full-time workers. That figure is almost half the national average, and Louisiana has been below the national average since recordkeeping began. Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Executive Director Ava Dejoie remarked that the encouraging numbers are but another step in the ongoing effort “to continually improve safety until we reach zero incidents.” In terms of specific sectors, workplace accidents declined almost all across the board, including real estate (0.9 decrease), retail trade (0.6), professional services (0.5), and management (0.4). [Read more…] about The Bayou State: A Great Place To Work