• 04
  • August
    2011

When the death of a loved one is caused by someone else's negligence, there are a lot of questions that the family may want answered. What caused the death? Could the accident have been prevented? Can the company or employer be held responsible for the death?

The family of a California man recently killed in a sinkhole accident is no doubt grappling with these questions and more. The accident occurred last month in an oil field outside Bakersfield when a sinkhole appeared and the man - a worker - fell into the 30-foot hole. Just recently his family filed a wrongful death claim against a construction company that had done work on the ground where the ground sank.

The investigation into the fatal incident is still ongoing. Both the Department of Oil and Gas and the California division of OSHA are working to determine what actually caused the ground to collapse.

The man's family believes that the cause of the sinkhole was a leak from some of the equipment on the field. Because of the leak, the ground became less stable and the soil eroded, eventually causing it to collapse. Perhaps if the construction company properly maintained its equipment, the leak would not have caused the sinkhole, and the man would not have died.

If it is discovered that negligence on the part of the construction company caused the sinkhole, the man's family may be entitled to compensation for their loss. While a monetary award will not bring back their loved one, it can help with some of the unexpected financial challenges that may have arisen. Additionally, a wrongful death claim can hold a company responsible and hopefully prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Source: Bakersfield Now: "Family files lawsuit for oil field worker killed in sinkhole," Amity Addrisi, Aug. 3, 2011.