Leveling the Field between Injured Iowans and Insurance Companies.

Inherent Dangers of a Trench Collapse in Iowa

Trench work can pose serious dangers for construction workers, death included. While numerous nationally mandated safety standards are in place to prevent the incidence of a trench collapse accident, they unfortunately can, and still do, occur.

The initial dangers associated with a trench collapse in Iowa include the obvious - injuries from a fall into a trench, or injuries sustained from contact with other falling debris may immediately come to mind. Considering the weight and size of equipment on a construction site and of materials such as concrete, the danger of injury from hitting such objects during a trench collapse is great.

Still other, less obvious dangers exist. When a trench collapse in Iowa occurs, a construction worker can literally be buried in hundreds of pounds of soil, which can lead to asphyxiation or suffocation from the pressure of the ground on your body, even when only buried up to the neck.

In other cases, toxic fumes in a trench can lead to serious and even fatal injury when the air conditions within the trench are not properly monitored. This risk is exacerbated in the event of a collapse.

Trench excavation near utility lines also poses special dangers. If workers accidentally strike a utility line, they could face electrocution or even injury from an explosion and resulting trench collapse.

When the effect weather conditions such as rain and storms have on soil are not properly taken into account, the danger of drowning from a flash flood or mudslide increases.

If you've been injured in a trench collapse in Iowa, you most likely will want to file an Iowa Workers' Compensation claim. To be sure of how you should proceed, you'll want to seek counsel from a Des Moines Workers' Compensation attorney. 

Contacting a Des Moines Workers' Compensation Attorney

The Des Moines Workers' Compensation attorney team at Walker, Billingsley & Bair know the importance of protecting your work injury claim from the get-go. That's why we provide this FREE book; Iowa Workers' Compensation - An Insider's Guide to Work Injuries: 7 Deadly Mistakes To Avoid If You Are Hurt At Work. To learn more about what our legal team will do to help you protect your Iowa work injury claim, contact Walker, Billingsley & Bair to schedule a no-cost consultation - 1-888-792-3595.