Well maintained roads are a luxury that is probably not given much thought by those who regularly use them. It takes a lot of time and energy to lay and keep them up however, providing jobs for individuals throughout the country, including the Pittsburgh area. The maintenance of roads entails the use of heavy machinery that can be dangerous. An accident illustrating just how dangerous the machinery utilized in roadwork can be, occurred late last month in Pennsylvania.

A 55-year-old man died as the result. According to police officers who responded to the scene, a paving roller rolled over him and pinned him to the ground. At the time of the incident he was making some repairs to the machinery and it somehow switched on. The fatal accident occurred at an Export Fuel Company garage located near Route 66.

Additional details have not been made available and an investigation is underway.

Despite the understanding that machinery such as a paving or asphalt roller is dangerous, it is still shocking when a tragic work accident such as this happens. To try to prevent things like this from happening, workplaces often have a long list of safety precautions that need to be followed when working with dangerous equipment. It is not known if the man's employer had such as list or if it did, if it was adequate. This information could be relevant if the man has family who decide to seek financial damages in his untimely death.

Should this occur, it would be accomplished via a wrongful death lawsuit. Filed in a civil court, when successful, a monetary value is assigned to the life of the person who died.

Source: WTAE, "Paving roller runs over, kills man on Route 66," Aug. 28, 2012