Two construction workers suffered serious injuries in a building collapse that happened in Queenstown on Sept. 8. The two workers were airlifted to the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, where they received treatment.
According to a Queen Anne's County sheriff's officer, the floor fell away in an area where the workers were completing their job duties. The construction workers were working in a pole barn structure that was still under construction. After the floor collapse, five workers fell through the ground below.
An additional worker was hurt in the incident but did not require an airlift. That worker was rushed to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center in an ambulance. The other two workers did not require treatment for their injuries.
Maryland Occupational Safety and Health responded to the building collapse to investigate what may have happened. However, the cause of the accident and the names and sexes of the injured workers have yet to be released by authorities. A contractual building inspector has deemed the accident site safe enough to enter.
In the state of Maryland, virtually all workers are covered by state-subsidized workers' compensation insurance. What this means is that if a worker is seriously injured on the job, he or she may be able to receive workers' compensation insurance benefits to cover the costs of his or her injuries. Workers' compensation may also provide wage replacement benefits to a worker who is too injured to return to work. In some cases, workers are even awarded lifetime benefits if they suffer permanently disabling injuries.