Brian Bradley and two other workers were struck by lightning while finishing concrete work on the seventh floor of an Atlantic City casino project. Bradley died from his injuries, but the other two survived with minor injuries.The fire chief, Brooks, said that Bradley had been in bad shape when the rescuers reached him and that they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, all the way to the hospital.
Brooks also recalled the event by saying, “They were up there pouring concrete when the bucket lift they were using got hit by lightning. One guy got a glancing hit, and he sustained a minor injury. Another guy got the full brunt of it. We did CPR all the way down to him and on the way to the hospital.”
Bradley’s widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tishman Construction and Network Construction Company. The lawsuit claims that construction work should have stopped at the worksite due to the lightning storm.
Carmen Bradley said, “Their decision robbed me of my husband and closest friend, robbed my children of a father who loved them passionately and robbed Bryan of his life. My sons and I are now left to live our lives without him. It is a devastating reality and more devastating than this is the fact that it was 100% preventable.”
One of the workers also struck by lightning that was working with Bradley said, “Instead of getting to safety, they offered us rain jackets. I was scared about the weather and told them I heard the forecast. They said get to work. I was the last one to talk to Bryan. We knew we had to get out of there, but it was too late. Even after I got hit, all I could think of was him. And whether he was alive.”
The third man struck stated, “That day, we were all scared, afraid of our lives because of the storm, but we kept working because we were told to.”
Following Bradley’s death, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated the tragedy and fined Network Construction for violating federal regulations that say once a local storm warning has been issued, a person in charge must determine if equipment must be secured.
Pulgini & Norton, LLP attorneys have handled workers’ compensation claims for over 25 years in and around Boston and its surrounding areas. If you or a family member has been injured at work and would like to seek legal assistance, please contact us at (781) 843-2200 or (888) 344-2046 or email us.
Cited Sources:
Lightning strike kills worker at NJ casino site, 6abc.com, September 15, 2011
Lawsuit Filed in Lightning Strike Death, NBC10, April 4, 2012
Suit filed in A.C. death by lightning, philly.com, April 5, 2012
Company fined $3K over lightning death at Atlantic City casino, nj.com, March 24, 2012