An out-of-state construction accident that took the life of a worker occurred recently. The 29-year-old man was killed on a recent Wednesday in December after heavy machinery fell on him, officials say. When a fatal work injury occurs in California, the surviving family of the deceased worker are typically entitled to workers’ compensation death benefits to help defray some of the costs typically associated with such an accident.
The accident took place around 4 p.m. The worker was standing on the 37th floor of a condo building that was under construction. For reasons that are not currently clear, the machinery that was being hoisted by a crane somehow became dislodged from the crane and fell, striking the worker.
According to the authorities, the piece of equipment which struck the worker weighed over 2,000 pounds. Rescue workers rushed to the scene, but the man was already dead. As the building’s elevator could not go further than the 31st floor, rescue crews used a separate crane in order to bring him down. The accident is currently under investigation.
When on-the-job injuries or illnesses result in death, California workers’ compensation law allows for compensation to be paid to the surviving dependents of the deceased worker in the form of death benefits. These benefits include burial expenses — up to $5,000 for accidents prior to Jan. 1, 2013 and up to $10,000 for accidents occurring on or after Jan. 1, 2013. The amount of the death benefit depends on the number of total dependents. Individuals who have lost loved ones in a fatal work injury typically consult with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in order to gain assistance with this process.
Source: Miami Herald, “Piece of heavy machinery falls from crane, hits and kills construction worker in Edgewater”, Carli Teproff, Dec. 2, 2015