William O’Quain Injured in Work Accident on Laycock Lane in Suffolk, VA
Suffolk, VA -- April 26, 2022, 38-year-old William O'Quain was injured in a construction accident at a job site on Laycock Lane in North Suffolk.
Authorities say the incident happened Tuesday morning at a housing development construction site on the 1900 block of Laycock Lane near Shoulders Hill Road. Preliminary investigation suggests O'Quain was operating a piece of equipment at the site when a dump truck reversed into the machine. O'Quain reportedly became pinned between the truck and the equipment.
Responders extricated O'Quain. He was then airlifted to an area hospital for treatment of serious non-life-threatening injuries.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on William O'Quain Accident on Laycock Ln in Suffolk
There are many reasons someone could get hurt at a busy construction site, and with multiple contractors potentially involved getting a straight answer about who's to blame for the accident may not be easy. Companies often clash after these incidents as each tries to place the bulk of the blame on the other.
Some may think it's best to wait for OSHA investigators to look into it (assuming they get involved as they usually do after job site accidents). It's understandable to think the government agency specifically meant to investigate this kind of thing might shed some light on what happened, but I've seen plenty of OSHA reports in my time and that's not always the case. Why? Because OSHA often takes a long time to reach any meaningful conclusions, and even once they do the information they release publicly is minimal. More than that, the only corrective action that comes out of their investigations is usually a fine--hardly justice for the serious damage many workers suffer while just trying to do their jobs.
Some may not see the need for further investigations since work injuries are typically handled by workers' compensation. In most cases that's true, but as I originally mentioned these job sites are often bustling anthills of many different contracted companies working together. Some dig up the dirt, others move it out of the way, another group trucks in materials, etc. Workers' comp benefits only bar an injured employee from taking action against his own employer. When he's hurt by another company's employee, even on the same job site, workers' comp does not bar him from seeking damages against the negligent person's company.
Ultimately this may be a complex situation that needs careful investigation. Hopefully some light can soon be shed on how it happened, but no matter what's learned the victim deserves help getting back on his feet.
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