On October 15, 2014, 36-year-old electrician’s apprentice Christopher L. Dasher died after being electrocuted from an excess of 10,000 volts at a substation in Reddick, Florida.
A Victim of Negligence
Dasher was in the process of both repairing and testing electrical transformers when the tragedy took place. His employer, Duke Energy, had dealt with a history of electrical shock injuries that weren’t fatal, yet had been lax in enforcing its own safety standards.
What the subsequent investigation later found was that Dasher came into contact with an energized circuit after ignoring the established protocols that Duke had established. Some may think that places the blame on Dasher, but Duke’s apathy toward insisting on following those guidelines places the blame on them.
Those were the findings of the Department of Labor’s local Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) office. In all, Duke Energy was cited for six violations, five safety-related that were deemed serious and one willful, with a proposed total fine of $90,000. The latter was the most serious, since the company was aware of a problem and did nothing, showing indifference to its workers.
What to Do Next
A Coral Springs Workers Compensation Injury Attorney like Evan Ostfeld would have been able to advise the injured parties on how to proceed. That’s because of his past experience in a variety of work-related injuries that, in this case, likely included such things as scarring, disfigurement or even amputations.
Ostfeld is also well versed in a case like Dasher’s, since he’s represented individuals who have grieved from the loss of a loved one who died from employer negligence. In this case, a wrongful death lawsuit would be the likely course of action.
In addition to the potential of a wrongful death lawsuit in this case, a Broward County Workers Compensation Lawyer like Evan Ostfeld can explore whether other avenues should be pursued regarding litigation. These might be related to negligent security breakdowns, or the issue of worksite injuries that result in the injured party’s quality of life being diminished.
The Name to Remember
So if you or someone you know has been injured in an accident, or a death has resulted from workplace negligence, get in touch with the law offices of a Coral Springs Workers Compensation Injury Attorney Evan Ostfeld. Contact him today at 954-227-7529.
