Employees are often to told to just obey management when they are given directives. While these directives are sometimes safe and fair, there are some instances in which members of management might give employees unsafe directives. That is what one West Virginia worker is alleging in a work-related injury lawsuit against Tire Centers and West Virginia Tire Disposal.
The man says that he was at work on July 24, 2012 when a manager told him to climb up a large stack of tires to sort smaller tires and larger tires so they could be loaded. He asserts in the lawsuit that it was raining when he was told to climb the stack of tires, which was more than 10 feet high.
The man says that he fell from a height of around 10 feet. He says that he hurt his neck, right wrist and right shoulder in the fall. As part of his lawsuit, the man says that Tire Centers is to blame because of violations of federal and state regulations by knowing about the unsafe work conditions. He also sued West Virginia Tire Disposal because of the improper position of the trailer, failure to train employees, failure to ensure the loading space was safe and failure to set up a ramp on the trailer.
The man’s wife is included as a complainant because she says she lost the companionship of her husband, as well as his services and society. The couple is seeking costs, punitive damages, compensatory damages, pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest and attorney fees.
When listening to a manager leads to working under unsafe conditions that cause injury to a worker, that worker has the right to seek damages for the injuries. Because the laws governing compensation for workplace injuries are complex, seeking answers to questions may guide affected workers seeking compensation for their injuries and damages.
Source: The West Virginia Record, “Man sues after falling from stack of tires” Kelly Holleran, Aug. 07, 2014
