PHILADELPHIA (PRWEB) October 12, 2020
Galfand Berger, LLP has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Casey McFarland, the widow of Tanner Lee McFarland, who died on August 29, 2019 when he was buried alive by a rib of coal, shale, and rock at the Enlow Fork Mine in Claysville, PA. The massive but unsecured rib material, consisting of over 630 cubic feet of coal, shale and rock, collapsed on Mr. McFarland, a 25-year-old foreman at the mine.
The Defendants are CONSOL Energy Inc. and six other members of the CONSOL Energy family of companies. The lawsuit alleges that the CONSOL Defendants failed to implement safety precautions to prevent rib falls in the mine where Mr. McFarland worked, despite knowing about the mine’s unsafe conditions in light of two rib falls that occurred in the same area of the mine just weeks before Mr. McFarland’s death.
According to court documents, at the time of the rib collapse Mr. McFarland’s co-workers implemented emergency procedures in an attempt to save Mr. McFarland’s life. Although one emergency responder detected a pulse when they reached him, Mr. McFarland’s injuries proved fatal. He died a few hours after this tragic but preventable workplace incident.
Parents of a 2-year old son, Tanner and Casey McFarland awaited the birth of their second child when Mr. McFarland passed away. Mrs. McFarland gave birth to the couple’s daughter five months after her husband died.
Casey McFarland is a strong and resilient woman, but the loss of her 25-year-old husband and the father of their two children has been devastating. By filing her lawsuit, Mrs. McFarland wants accountability and answers, and she wants to ensure no other miner’s family faces a similar traumatic loss.
Attorneys Debra A. Jensen and Bradley R. Smith represent the Estate of Tanner McFarland, his wife, and their children. Galfand Berger, LLP has been championing the rights of catastrophically injured workers and their families since 1947. For more information, call 800-222-8792 or visit the firm's website at http://www.galfandberger.com.
The case is Casey L. McFarland, Individually and as Executrix of the Estate of Tanner Lee McFarland v. Consol Energy Inc. et al., case number GD-20-010269, in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.