Despite the acknowledgement that the type of heavy building involved in constructing major sports arenas has associated risks, it was a horrific accident, everyone concluded. Months later, one eyewitness shared that he still had nightmares about what he had seen: two workers who had been up on the roof securing materials in place when something went terribly wrong.
Both workers ended up tumbling more than 300 feet to ground below, where autopsies determined they died on impact. Investigators pored over the worksite to reconstruct exactly what led up to the tragic accident. However, several traumatized coworkers admitted it didn’t take experts to anticipate that construction management was at risk for liability associated with several lapses in protocol—warning signs that, in hindsight, should have been heeded immediately.