A delivery man sustained critical personal injuries after he was pinned under the cargo truck he was unloading, CBS news reports. The man, who has not yet been identified, had parked his truck behind a bakery in Westwood the morning of November 21, 2009. He then opened the back compartment of the truck to unload some merchandise when the truck started to move forward. The man then ran to reach for the passenger door when he was pinned between the door and the pole. The delivery man sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.

Fatal On-the-Job Injury

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of this deceased worker for their devastating loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

Based on this news report, it is not clear whether the worker had set the parking brake before getting off the truck to unload the merchandise. The article does not state otherwise. The question here is: Was this fatal job injury caused by the truck's defective parking brake.

Was the Accident the Result of a Defective Parking Brake?

Defective parking brakes can lead to catastrophic injuries or fatalities. The auto product liability lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE have seen many cases where a defective parking brake system can cause a vehicle to roll without warning and run over or critically injure unsuspecting victims. These auto product defects can also cause serious car accidents. In fact, BISNAR | CHASE is spearheading a $350-million auto product defect class action lawsuit against General Motors on behalf of a Texas law firm. The lawsuit alleges that GM installed defective emergency brakes in several models of GM trucks and sport utility vehicles.

In this particular case, the family of the man, who was apparently on-the-job at the time of the fatal accident, will be entitled to worker's compensation benefits through his employer. But they may also be able to file a "third party claim" against the auto maker if it is determined that a defective parking brake caused this accident. A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who has successfully handled auto product liability cases and third party claims, will be able to advise this family about how to pursue their legal rights.

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.