• March 01, 2017

William Bradford Hargis Killed in Pittsburg, TN, Trench Accident

Pittsburgh, TN -- October 5, 2016, William Bradford Hargis Jr. was killed after an accident where he was caught in a collapsed trench.

Investigating authorities report that the accident happened just before 5:00 p.m. near the intersection of Old Jasper Road and North Cedar Avenue.

According to reports, Hargis was working in a trench near the intersection doing work on a sewer line. Reports say a water main had broken during construction at some point prior the accident. Due to unstable walls, the trench suddenly collapsed while Hargis was still in the trench.

Due to the collapse, Hargis was critically injured. Emergency crews were able to transport him to Parkridge West Hospital where he later died.

At this time, the cause of the accident is unclear. OSHA and other authorities did not release any additional information surrounding the incident.

Map of the Area

Commentary

I've been seeing reports say that the ground was wet due to the water main breaking and that the ground was not stabilized in any way prior to Hargis entering the trench. This seems like a huge oversight to whoever was supervising the work site, and it's something that needs to be addressed. What safety measures should have been taken? Why weren't they taken? How could this accident have been avoided?

OSHA reports usually only go so far as to explain the basic fact pattern of an accident for records purposes. In order to determine the whys and hows of an accident like this, most people have to seek independent professionals to investigate the accident. This is one way to ensure that whoever contributed to a work place accident is held accountable for their actions. Not only should victims and their families have a chance to pursue justice, but any and all hazards must be resolved to prevent similar tragedies from happening to someone else's loved one.

--Grossman Law Offices

[jump]

Recent Accidents

View All Posts
*We appreciate your feedback and welcome anyone to comment on our blog entries, however all visitor blog comments must be approved by the site moderator prior to showing live on the site. By submitting a blog comment you acknowledge that your post may appear live on the site for any visitors to see, pending moderator approval. The operators of this site are not responsible for the accuracy or content of the comments made by site visitors. By submitting a comment, blog post, or email to this site you acknowledge that you may receive a response with regard to your questions or concerns. If you contact Grossman Law Offices using this online form, your message will not create an attorney-client relationship and will not necessarily be treated as privileged or confidential! You should not send sensitive or confidential information via the Internet. Since the Internet is not necessarily a secure environment, it is not possible to ensure that your message sent via the Internet might be kept secure and confidential. When you fill out a contact or comment form, send us an email directly, initiate a chat session or call us, you acknowledge we may use your contact information to communicate with you in the future for marketing purposes, but such marketing will always be done in an ethical way.