Injured Workers and their Families Need a Work Comp Lawyer

We previously reported on a work accident that resulted in a worker dying when he was struck by a falling steel beam. This is a construction worker from Washington, Iowa working for Iowa Bridge and Culvert that has the job doing restoration work at the Art Building West in Iowa City on the University of Iowa campus. Apparently OSHA or IOSH has issued a report and cited the company for several “serious violations”. This isn’t uncommon, what will be unusual is if all six violations stick and the $14,000 fine are not reduced. What I’ve seen over the last 30 years is that these fines are reduced substantially after the employers lawyer-up and fight it with the big defense firms from downtown.

Kevin Dean Hammons is the worker that died; there is a nice story about him in The Daily Iowan’s January 25, 2011 story, Construction worker killed loved Hawkeyes, outdoors, Nina Earnest. Mr. Hammons was 52 from Washington, Iowa. His son Justin is quoted in the article and refers to a Facebook page. The DI story points out he has at least one minor child (who should be getting workers’ compensation benefits.) Workers’ compensation insurance companies and their legion of adjusters regularly cheat workers and their dependents by miscalculating the weekly compensation rate. Even a few dollars over 20 years adds up to a lot of money saved and lost to the injured worker’s family. [According the article, “He had three children — Justin, Mindy, 33, and Kale, 13 — and three grandchildren — Ashley, 11, Kailey, 5, and Zohee, 1.”] I did not find a Facebook page. Iowa Bridge & Culvert is located at 409 N. Avenue B, Washington, Iowa 52353.

One source shows the following company profile. Try to keep in mind that one injured or killed worker doesn’t make a company a bad company. Accidents do happen and so long as a company has a history of following adequate safety practices they remain a good place to work and earn a living. Of course their insurance companies are a completely different story. Injured people without a good lawyer in their corner are like sheep going to the slaughterhouse. Here is the profile for Iowa Bridge.

Company Profile:

Areas Serving: Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana

Year Established: 1949

Specialization: Bridge and Box Culvert Construction, Miscellaneous Concrete Construction, Retaining Walls, Pile Driving, Barrier Rail Installation, Concrete Sawing and Core Drilling

Benefits: Life Insurance, Health Insurance , Prescription Drug Plan, 401-K Program, Profit Sharing and Paid Vacation after an establish waiting time

Career Path: Iowa Bridge & Culvert, an EEO/AA Employer, has career opportunities in Heavy and Bridge Construction for qualified individuals, that includes, but not limited to labors, carpenters, equipment operators, project managers and job superintendents

Misc: Iowa Bridge & Culvert provides training from within, outside sources, and utilizes the AGC of Iowa to provide job skills and training. We promote from within our work force whenever possible