A San Rafael-based engineering firm and an ex-foreman face misdemeanor charges in a 2015 fatal construction accident in which an employee was crushed to death near the side of Highway 101 by a 7,800-pound concrete pipe.
Sonoma County prosecutors allege Maggiora & Ghilotti Inc. and its former supervisor, Mark Greving, failed to take appropriate safety precautions in the April 15, 2015 accident that killed Jared Overfield, 28, of Novato.
Overfield was working at a water pipe replacement project on Kastania Road in south Petaluma when another employee operating a forklift unloaded the 40-foot pipe onto sloping land. It began to roll and Overfield, who was standing downhill, fell beneath it.
“Jared Overfield struggled to hold the pipe steady until it crushed him and rolled down the hillside toward Highway 101, rolling over a fence and stopping short of the highway,” according to a criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege the company and Greving, who was at the scene, failed to use chock blocks or other safety devices that could have prevented the accident. The ex-foreman and the firm are each charged with misdemeanor violations of the state labor code.
Argus Courier reports, lawyers for the company and Greving did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment. They have pleaded not guilty.
A hearing to set a trial date is Jan. 24.
You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or [email protected]. On Twitter @ppayne.
Editorial Note: Based on the photo, pipe handling forks were not used on the Wheel Loader. Dymax offers Pipe Handling Forks. So does CAT.
Dymax-Pipe-Handling-Forks
CAT 3131MM (123IN) PIPE & POLE FORK, FUSION COUPLER
