Iowa City woman working on Colorado construction crew run over

Posted by Steve LombardiNovember 19, 2008 1:00 PM

We’ve covered this topic several times; a worker on a construction crew being run over and either killed or seriously injured. In this instance Bonnie Stevens of Iowa City, Iowa was critically injured while working on the Western Slope at a construction site. The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office reports the Western Slope construction site is a gas pipeline project. She is reported to have suffered severe head and upper body or torso injuries. The Denver Post reports as follows:

Stevens was standing between two sets of tires on the long, oversized trailer when it unexpectedly began to roll. She tried to get out of the way but fell, according to the sheriff's office. Stevens suffered severe head and upper body injuries when she was run over by the trailer. The incident happened when brakes on the trailer were released without the brakes on the semi being set, the sheriff's office said.

The truck driver apparently worked for “East Coast Specialized Hauling, of Portsmouth, Va., was cited for parking a vehicle without setting the brakes”.

OSHA has specific rules governing construction site rules and regulations and how workers for different companies can work together without injuring the workers. This is the type of case where in Iowa a worker would have both a workers’ compensation claim and a lawsuit they would file in District Court; a third-party claim. We wish her a speedy recovery.