GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — A judge in western Michigan has dismissed criminal charges in the case of a man who plunged 26 feet to his death while working on a commercial roof.
Black River Builders owner Joe Novak of Holland was charged with a safety violation causing death, a felony. WZZM-TV says a Kent County judge recently dismissed the charge after Novak’s lawyers argued that he shouldn’t be held personally responsible.
In 2012, Brian Tarachanowicz fell while removing a roof deck at a commercial building in Sparta, north of Grand Rapids. The state says the victim was not wearing protective equipment, and no inspections were performed to detect hazards.
Tarachanowicz was working as a subcontractor on the project.
The state says Black River Builders has been cited for past safety problems.
- Posted June 03, 2015
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Charges dismissed in workplace death
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