There are many chores that need to be completed this time of year in Pittsburgh to prepare for the coming of winter. Accordingly it is not uncommon to see residents outside raking and bagging leaves. In some cases it is necessary to clean the gutters as well. In most situations this entails using a ladder to access the leaves in the gutter.

Most people do not use a ladder on a regular basis. As a result, they are not comfortable spending much time on it. In addition, they may not be aware of the precautions that should be taken to make the use of the ladder safe. On e of those precautions is to make sure that the ladder is nowhere near electrical wires. This is particularly true when the ladder is made of aluminum.

Sadly, this warning is coming too late for a man in Butler County. The 43-year-old was electrocuted when the ladder he was placing against a house touched some electrical wires. Immediately following the afternoon accident the man was transported to Butler Memorial Hospital. It was there that he sadly died.

While cleaning gutters is a common thing to see this time of year in Pennsylvania, it is not clear what exactly the man was planning on doing once the ladder was setup. Though authorities have indicated that the incident was an accident it is possible that the negligence of another could have played a role in the matter. Depending on the circumstances, in cases such as these civil lawsuits are sometimes appropriate.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Butler County man dies in electrical accident," Nov. 7, 2012

• Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pennsylvania wrongful death page.