Family files lawsuit after construction worker dies from work-related injuries

EVERETT, Mass. - The family of a construction worker who sustained injuries while working on the Wynn Casino project and died shortly after is filing a lawsuit against SPS New England, the construction company overseeing the site.

Neil Sugarman, the attorney representing the family, told Boston 25 News the man's injuries on the job led to his death.

The construction worker in question, John Pitcher, was injured on the job back in December, but didn't die until about two weeks ago.

"This is a story that's truly a tragedy because the events that occurred clearly could have been prevented," said Sugarman.

Pitcher was working on removing toxic materials from the water in preparation for the casino project, just about a mile away from the construction site.

As he was working on a wall near an excavator, the operator accidentally swung the arm of the machine, hitting Pitcher in the head with the bucket.

"This poor gentleman was struck on the head, knocked some distance into the pit containing all of this toxic material," said Sugarman.

Sugarman said Pitcher suffered multiple fractures, a punctured lung and a traumatic brain injury.

"In order to treat the brain injury at Massachusetts General Hospital, they had to physically remove a large part of his skull," said Sugarman.

According to his attorney, Pitcher had blood clots on his brain, but seemed to be recovering well. However, 64 days after the incident, he died from a blood clot.

Sugarman said the lawsuit cannot replace the loss of a father and husband, but he said the family deserves compensation for what he calls negligence of SPS New England and its worker.

Since Pitcher was off site when he was hurt, so they're not suing Wynn Resorts and Casinos given the company isn't directly responsible for this incident.

Nevertheless, Sugarman hopes the company can revise their safety procedures after yet another worker died on their site this week.

"It's never normal for two men to be killed at a work site," said Sugarman.

Pitcher died on March 24, and Sugarman said they're still waiting on the autopsy results to confirm his cause of death.

Boston 25 News reached out to SPS New England for a comment, but have not heard back.

Cox Media Group