Worker Killed in Tatum, TX, Accident at Martin Lake Power Plant
Tatum, TX -- February 17, 2017, a worker was fatally injured as the result of an accident that occurred at the Martin Lake Power Plant.
Tatum authorities reported that the incident occurred in the evening hours of Friday at the plant located south of Tatum.
Preliminary details are scarce, and the nature of the accident is unclear. Investigators stated that the victim, a contractor not employed by the power plant, was fatally injured on the job. It's unclear what caused the incident.
At this time, authorities from OSHA and representatives of the contracting company are looking into the incident. No additional details have been released at this time.
Map of the Area
Commentary
There was a time that news outlets cared more about these work accidents and actually reported on them. Now, most work accidents go completely unreported, and the ones that do are usually as bare bones as it gets. What happened in this accident? What caused it? Did a co-worker cause this, or an employee at the plant? Was there a pre-existing hazard that contributed to this accident? Did the contractors have proper safety equipment?
If we don't ask these questions, then there are negligent companies that could get away with putting their employees in dangerous and potentially fatal injuries. OSHA may be investigating, but those details rarely make it to the public. More often than not, they dole out their fines and drop the issue entirely without helping the surviving family.
It's imperative that a thorough, independent investigation is conducted in matters such as this. The only way to address the conditions that led to a fatal work accident is to uncover exactly what caused it.
--Grossman Law Offices
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