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PENNSYLVANIA RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public works company, employee facing lawsuit from technician shocked during tree removal

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PITTSBURGH – A tree removal specialist shocked when the cable of a nearby crane piloted by a defendant came into contact with an overhead power line is suing a public works company and employee allegedly responsible for the accident.

David Marchlewski and Lisa Marchlewski of Cheswick filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on June 8 versus Rowan Works Services, LLC and Nathan Rowan, both of Elizabeth.

On April 5, David was working on behalf of the Mount Lebanon Public Works Department at the Clint Seymour Field in Mount Lebanon, to assist with the removal of a tree located adjacent to a series of baseball batting cages.

On that same day, Rowan Works Services, LLC and Nathan Rowan were at the same location to perform the same duty, having contracted with the Mount Lebanon Public Works Department in the tree removal, and not the other way around – which the suit makes specific mention of.

According to the lawsuit, Rowan Works Services owned a 1998 Ford Truck with an attached Series 800C National crane. The crane’s cable came into contact with an overhead power line, which electrocuted David.

The suit says the defendants were negligent in their process of the tree removal, which directly caused the electrocution accident.

As a result, the suit says David suffered atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response; electrocution; burn injuries to the bilateral hands, face, neck and left foot; early compartment syndrome of the left foot; elevated CPK; facial numbness; excision of burn wounds and placement of right thumb in Integra skin substitute; excision of burn wounds and placement of left foot in a VAC wound manager; bone debridement of metatarsals; microvascular free flap reconstruction of the left foot using the left rectus myocutaneous muscle; split-thickness skin graft and other serious and severe injuries.

For individual counts of negligence from each plaintiff against each defendant, the plaintiffs are seeking an amount in excess of the statutory arbitration limits of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, plus court costs, delay damages and punitive damages.

The plaintiffs are represented by Todd Berkey and Brad D. Trust of Edgar Snyder & Associates, in Pittsburgh.

Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-17-008487

From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com

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