Tree Sculpture Group: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jul 3, 2023 (fatal): Employee working near road is struck by vehicle, later dies

At 1:45 a.m. on July 23, 2023, an employee and a coworker were performing landscaping next to the right curb of a road. The crew arrived at the work site at about 7:30 a.m. to conduct repairs on the irrigation system of a hospital. The employee was in the process of inspecting the sprinkler nozzles that were either worn or damaged. The employee was checking one of the nozzles when a motor vehicle jumped the curb and struck the employee. According to the coworker, they had been performing repairs along the north side of the road. After lunch, the employee told the coworker to work on a lateral pipe repair at another location within the work site while he continued work along the north side. According to the police report, the vehicle's driver stated that he was driving westbound when he observed the employee with one leg in the roadway and one leg up above the curb. He felt a collision as he passed, and his right front tire hit the curb. He looked in his rearview mirror and saw the employee on the ground. The driver and another witness interviewed by the police stated that the employee was too close to the road. The police officer stated the employee was not wearing a safety vest. The coworker stated they had worked on the side of the road all morning before lunch with no traffic cones or any other traffic control. The employee sustained fractures and a concussion from blunt force trauma. On July 10, 2023, the employee died in the hospital as a result of his injuries.