Construction worker lucky to survive fire after harrowing escape

Whether in Pennsylvania or anywhere else, being employed in the construction industry can be dangerous work. Construction Accidents can happen for any number of reasons: falls from high places; being pinned under heavy equipment; or being exposed to fire or explosion hazards. It was this last one that led to a construction worker suffering burn injuries this week -- but it could have ended up much worse for him.

The man was working on a luxury apartment complex in Houston, Texas, when a fire broke out on the roof, apparently sparked by workers doing some welding. Because he was a construction supervisor, he went to the roof to see what was going on after he was told that a small fire had broken out. When he arrived, however, strong winds led to the fire quickly spreading.

The worker thought that he might be overcome by the smoke that was pouring off of the fire, so he sought shelter on the fifth floor on a balcony. However, the fire continued to spread, and the man found himself stranded on the balcony -- with no rescue workers yet on the scene. When crews finally did arrive, the man had to dangle from the balcony and jump onto a lower floor, and then jump onto the ladder of a nearby fire truck.

The man suffered minor burn injuries to his hands and face in the incident, but he escaped with his life. People who are injured on the job in construction accidents often need to seek compensation for their injuries. An experienced workplace injury attorney can assist them in this endeavor.

Source: Fox News, "Dramatic video shows Houston firefighters save construction worker from 9-alarm blaze," March 27, 2014

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