A total of 26 San Antonio workers have died in fatal workplace accidents since May 2009, according to a recent news report which highlights dangers posed by workplace accidents, according to San Antonio workplace accident lawyer Frank Herrera Jr., founder of The Herrera Law Firm in San Antonio, TX.
The San Antonio Express-News published the story on its website based on statistics compiled by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). According to the article, most of the people killed on the job died in industrial accidents, including construction accidents, landscaping accidents and transportation accidents. In addition, 15 workers died in falls, according to OSHA records cited in the news article. (Mysanantonio.com, "26 workers died on the job in San Antonio in the past 6 years," last updated June 11, 2015)
Such statistics come as no surprise to attorney Herrera, who has worked on many fatal workplace accident cases in San Antonio and throughout Texas. "The sad reality is fatal accidents occur at workplaces in San Antonio and across the state far more often than many people realize," Herrera said. "The last fatal workplace accident to occur in San Antonio according to this story occurred on March 28. But I will be very surprised if it's the last fatal workplace accident this year in San Antonio. Workplace accidents occur every day in San Antonio and elsewhere. And when they do, many people sadly sustain fatal injuries."
In particular, the number of workplace deaths in San Antonio corresponds with an increase statewide in the number of fatal truck accidents since 2009. Specifically, there has been a 51 percent increase in fatal truck accidents in Texas due mainly to increased fracking and drilling statewide. In 2009, there were 352 fatalities in Texas due to truck accidents. In 2013, that figure climbed to 532 fatalities in Texas truck accidents, according to The Houston Chronicle. The article reported on this trend and quoted attorney Herrera, who handled a legal case involving the family of a tractor-trailer driver killed in an accident caused by an untrained truck driver operating a vehicle with bald tires. (The Houston Chronicle, "Fatal truck accidents have spiked during Texas' ongoing fracking and drilling boom," Sept. 11, 2014)
"Such startling numbers only begin to tell the full story," Herrera said. "Everyone single workplace death takes an incredible toll on every family involved. Every death matters, every single day. That's why we work on hard on workplace accident cases in San Antonio and throughout Texas."
