After Worker's Fatal Fall, Cell Tower Company Owner Pleads to Misclassification

Monday, October 7, 2019 | 0

Prosecutors in West Virginia are recommending probation, restitution and a $1,000 fine after a cellphone tower construction company owner pleaded guilty to defrauding his workers' compensation carrier.

Christopher Strausbaugh, owner of S&S Tower Services, pleaded guilty this week to defrauding Brickstreet Mutual of more than $186,000 in premiums by reporting that employees never worked above 15 feet, which qualified the employer for a lower-risk classification, according to local news reports.

Investigators with the West Virginia Insurance Commission office began looking at the company's comp insurance after a worker fell 105 feet to his death from a tower the company was building in Morgan County, Kentucky, in 2016. They found that other employees worked at heights as high as 400 feet.

After the death of worker Tyler Comer, S&S was fined $3,500 for safety violations in Kentucky.

In addition to restitution to Brickstreet, prosecutors are recommending Strausbaugh pay more than $16,000 in West Virginia insurance taxes.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 17, the news reports said.