Felipe Reyes Garcia Dies in Work-related Accident in Lost Hills Almond Orchard in Kern County, California

Bakersfield, Calif. – A contract worker died Monday in an almond orchard accident.

According to the Department of Industrial Relations, the incident took place in Lost Hills, where the worker was fatally crushed between a piece of stationary equipment and a mobile wagon.

Felipe Reyes Garcia was pronounced dead at 7:30 a.m.

The fatal accident was reported to Cal/OSHA.

Further details about the incident have not been released yet.

Fatal workplace accidents should be investigated to provide answers to the grieving family

Fatal workplace accidents are difficult cases because there are often laws that protect employers from injuries suffered by employees on the job site. However, it is important to recognize that even when there are laws that may provide some protection, that may not be the end of the discussion.

Families know that fault can be extended beyond what is immediately apparent. For instance, we recently handled a case for a man who fell while on the job site. His employer had worker’s compensation insurance, which limited the man’s recovery to worker’s compensation benefits. However, when the accident was investigated, it turned out that the reason for the fall was defective equipment. Although the employer was negligent for not requiring the man to use or wear fall protection gear, the fall never would have occurred had the equipment not been defective.

This kind of third-party liability happens all the time and raises questions as to who played a role in the fatal accident here. Families deserve to know exactly what went wrong and all the parties responsible. This is how industries become safer, and families receive the justice and answers they deserve.

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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in personal injury and wrongful death litigation.

Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.