Pipe Rolls off Truck Killing Ft. Dodge Man

On Monday July 20^th 2009, Larry LaCroix of Fort Madison died at University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after he was crushed by a load of pipe he was delivering to the cleanup site of a coal ash spill in Tennessee. Mr. LaCroix was releasing a hold-down strap on his flatbed trailer when the 20-inch diameter pipe came loose and rolled on top of him officials said The cleanup was halted temporarily so that safety procedures could be reviewed with the hundreds of workers at the site.

While deaths like this happen all the time a majority of the time they are completely unavoidable and you have to ask yourself a couple questions:

1.      Did the procedures in place lead to the untimely death of Mr. LaCroix?

1. Were the safety procedures followed by Mr. LaCroix and by the other workers involved?
2. Were the workers being pushed along to unload quickly or in ways an accident was inevitable?
3. What if anything could have been done to prevent such a tragic death?

Dependents of Mr. LaCroix are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Those benefits may be higher in Iowa, of which they may be entitled. The insurance company isn’t likely, based on past practices in the industry, to pay the highest benefits to the widow or dependents. The dependents should contact an Iowa lawyer to review how much is being paid in weekly indemnity benefits. Weekly indemnity benefits are those benefits received like a pay check. He is also entitled to some death benefits and medical benefits.

1.                  Should workers’ compensation benefits be paid in Iowa or Tennessee?

2.                  Are there dependent benefits owing?

3.                  If benefits are being paid, is the correct amount being paid?

4.                  Have all death benefits been paid?

The Des Moines Register article indicates the construction site was at the Tennessee Valley Association’s Kingston Fossil Plant near Knoxville. He was working for WW Transport from West Burlington, Iowa. There are two companies with similar names registered in Iowa.

W.W. Transport, Inc. is out of Burlington, Iowa on Mt. Pleasant Street. (Corp. No. 150289)

W.W. Transportation, Inc. is out of Ft. Dodge, Iowa. (Corp. No. 272526)

W.W. Transport, Inc. has offices in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Indiana. The main office is in West Burlington. webpage states:

W. W. Transport was started in 1991 when Jeff Walters, (president of the company), saw an opportunity to better supply raw materials to a local concrete company. Jeff and a few partners bought a truck and a specialized trailer to haul aggregate and cement to the pre-cast concrete company. They also purchased a flatbed trailer to help with the delivery of finished product. It was not long before they ventured into bulk hauling, vans and specialized hauling with flatbed and heavy haul equipment. The company has grown to a fleet of over 200 trucks with terminals in PA, IL, FL, TX and OH. Our largest division at this time is the bulk division followed by flatbed and van.

Straitline Transportation is owned and operated as a separate company, while residing under the same roof as W. W. Transport. Straitline owns assets, and leases them to W. W. Transport. Straitline’s main responsibility is to operate a brokerage and logistics company that works as a partner with W. W. Transport. W. W. and Straitline are two separate companies that work together for the benefit of our customers. We have the ability to move freight as an asset based carrier or a brokerage. We operate trucks in the 48 contiguous states and have customer and carrier contacts all over the nation. We have experienced drivers, and strive to maintain a clean and safe fleet.

 We hope to grow our brokerage and fleet operations by partnering with quality minded, leading edge customers that are looking for a quality carrier that can handle all their transportation needs. We want to provide a one-stop shop for our customers. We believe that profitability is important for both parties and that in order to make money, quality communication is key. We work hard to make ourselves accessible and will continue to work and grow with the customers we serve.