A St. Louis roofer has died more than a month after a tragic construction accident in which he fell into a kettle of burning tar. The 66-year-old man died last Wednesday after spending over a month in a medically induced coma. The roofer was working on a one-story University City building when he fell off the roof and into a four-wheel 450-gallon tar kettle that was nearly 600 degrees. His son was working with him when the work accident occurred on August 6th. The son and another employee pulled the man from the kettle and doused him with water.
Family and friends said the man has been in an induced medical coma and died from his injuries. A funeral with military honors was held Monday. The roofer was an Army veteran who served in South Vietnam in 1968.
According to the Center for Construction Research and Training, a study called Fatal Falls from Roofs Among U.S. Construction Workers was conducted and reveals that one-third of fall-related construction fatalities fell from roofs. The study collected data from 1992-2009. The findings suggest that those who face a disproportionately high risk of roof accidents are residential construction workers, workers employed by small establishments, as well as Hispanic and immigrant workers.
Have you lost a family member to a construction or roofing accident? The St. Louis construction accident attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth, LLC, have the legal answers you are searching for after your untimely accident. Contact our downtown St. Louis office today to schedule a confidential case review at no cost to you.