Philipe Gonzalez sustained serious personal injuries at a California construction site when a portion of a dirt wall fell on him as he worked in a trench about 30 feet deep. According to a news report in the Chico Enterprise Record, Gonzalez suffered a fractured pelvis and leg. He and the rest of the construction company crew were apparently putting a concrete pipe in the trench November 6, 2009 when Gonzalez stepped outside the large pipe to check the grading. That was when the dirt wall of the trench collapsed on top of him, officials said. The California Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOSH) is investigating this construction accident.

I sympathize with this seriously injured victim, Philipe Gonzalez, and hope that he did not suffer major injuries that will prevent him from returning to work. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. A number of construction accidents have devastating effects on workers' lives. Some can result in lifelong disabilities. I hope that's not the case with Gonzalez.

Trench Collapse Accidents in California

Trench cave-ins in construction sites often cause death and serious job injuries. According to Cal/OSHA's statistics, over a five-year period between 2001 and 2005, 26 Californians have been killed in trench collapses and 207 Californians have been injured in these entirely preventable construction accidents. In almost every instance of trench collapse, it has been determined that the cause was a failure to shore up a trench properly, the state safety agency says.

There are very specific regulations in California pertaining to trenches. Companies are required to get a DOSH permit every time a worker enters an excavation 5 feet or deeper. DOSH also mandates employers to conduct daily inspections of the trench and have competent safety systems in place including assessing the soil at the site and paying attention to changing weather patterns. Other industry standards also specify the width and depth of excavations, which are particularly meant to prevent accidents like this one.

Third Party Claims

Gonzalez will be entitled to California workers compensation benefits. But he may also have a "third party claim" here, that is usually filed against a party other than an employer, whose negligence contributed to or caused the accident. These claims are usually worth a lot more to the victim than what is available under workers compensation benefits. Typically, workers comp is hardly enough to compensate workers for escalating medical bills and loss of earnings. A reputed California personal injury lawyer who has a successful track record with third party claims will be able to analyze this incident from all angles and make sure the worker's legal rights and best interests are protected.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.