The family of a construction worker in Chicago has filed a negligence lawsuit against a contractor after the worker fell two stories to his death last fall.
The company, Destiny Builders, did not carry workers’ compensation insurance on its employees and did not provide safety harnesses and railings at a church construction project, according to the lawsuit by the family of Francisco Aguilar, as reported by a local news outlet.
An investigation into the accident by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the contractor failed to provide safety measures and did not report the accident. The agency fined Destiny just $38,556, and the contractor contested the citations.
City officials shut down the project after they discovered that Destiny had not obtained building permits.
“A lot of construction companies feel that they can fly by night under the radar and get away with doing jobs for cheaper and with shortcuts that save costs but put their employees in danger,” said Michael Grieco, attorney for the family.
This article was first published in WorkCompCentral.com.
