John Larry Crosby Jr. Killed in Work Accident in Houston, TX

Houston, TX — September 18, 2024, John Crosby Jr. was fatally injured as the result of a workplace accident that happened off Clinton Drive.

According to initial details about the accident, it happened in the area of the Clinton Drive and Clinton Park Street intersection, just east of Loop 610.

Investigators said that 64-year-old John Larry Crosby Jr. was working at the time, and there were pipes in the area. OSHA officials say the pipes somehow fell, landing on Crosby. John Crosby was killed as a result.

There were no other reported injuries. The OSHA inspection summary lists one “serious” alleged citation. No further information is available at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

While the exact circumstances aren’t clear right now, the listing in the OSHA summary suggests there may have been a severe mistake at this job site. That’s important to consider under Texas work fatality law, as that may indicate possible gross negligence. Here’s why that matters.

In Texas, employers can face significant consequences that rise beyond the limits of typical work fatalities if their gross negligence caused an accident. Essentially, if an employer’s behavior “shocks the senses,” they may expose themselves to harsher penalties than they may face in an ordinary accident.

For example, we had a case a while back where someone was killed after being caught in meat processing machinery. Through our investigations, we found multiple serious mistakes. The employee hadn’t been trained properly, they were tasked with cleaning the machine by hand in an unnecessarily dangerous way, there was no clear safety plan in place for while the victim was cleaning the machine, and another worker powered on the machine while the victim was inside.

All of that evidence showed the employer was not just irresponsible but wantonly reckless in their actions. When a work accident in Texas rises to that level, it’s important to call out not just so the victim’s family can see justice done for their loss but also so that employer cleans up their act before more people get hurt. Maybe that isn’t exactly what happened in this accident, but there are some serious red flags here that warrant further attention.