Hamon Contractors, a Denver-based construction company, could be held responsible for the death of a 13-year-old boy.
The parents of Willam Woller, Jr., of Brea, Calif., filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company on June 25, stating Hamon failed to maintain a safe detour around a work zone. According to the suit, Hamon “failed to remedy dangerous conditions located prior to, within and adjacent to the left reverse curve and engaged in reckless, careless and negligent conduct.”
Woller died in an automobile accident on June 18, 2002, when the truck he was riding in spiraled out of control in a construction detour. Woller and his grandfather, Robert Woller, were in route to visit family in South Dakota when the truck entered a left reverse curve, which led without warning, according to the lawsuit, to a rough, irregular and uneven roadway. There were no caution or warning signs posted.
After Robert Woller’s failed attempt to regain control on the road’s shoulder, the truck collided with the end section of an unconnected temporary concrete barrier. The barrier toppled over, launching the vehicle into a series of unconnected barriers and catapulting it 51 feet into the air before it landed upside-down. The truck then slid 36 feet before stopping.
Although both passengers were wearing their seatbelts, only Robert Woller survived. William Woller was pronounced dead after crews worked for 30 minutes to pry him from the vehicle.
According to the lawsuit, the Woller family blames Hamon because the road under construction was not “properly and safely maintained.”
