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
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Charges dismissed in workplace death
headlines Macomb
headlines National
- Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law back in compliance with ABA standard
- Chemerinsky: The Fourth Amendment comes back to the Supreme Court
- Reinstatement of retired judge reversed by state supreme court
- Mass tort lawyer suspended for 3 years for lying to clients
- Law firms in Minneapolis are helping lawyers, staff navigate unrest
- Federal judge faces trial on charges of being ‘super drunk’ while driving
