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California worker suffers fatal work injury in Menifee

On Behalf of | May 6, 2013 | Workplace Accidents |

Any kind of work involving electricity can be dangerous to anyone involved. For one California worker, a work injury related to electricity proved fatal and others around were injured also. They worked for Southern California Edison.

According to authorities, the 38-year-old worker, who was an 11 year veteran employee with the company, died as the result of an electrical explosion and a fire. The worker was in an underground electrical vault measuring roughly 14 feet by 14 feet when something went wrong. There were two workers outside of the vault and they tried to save the worker who was inside. They endured injuries related to smoke inhalation and needed medical attention.

There is currently an investigation into the incident and there was no cause released yet. An official with the company estimated there was approximately 12,000 volts of electricity fed into the vault where the accident occurred. The accident led to a power outage for a desalination plant that relied on the vault for power.

The injured workers may be unable to work for a period of time due to their injuries and they may need compensation to cover expenses. The family of the worker who was killed may also find themselves reliant on compensation to make up for the lost wages, medical expenses and funeral costs they may have incurred as a results of this work accident. When a work injury or work-related death has affected California families, workers’ compensation death benefits may prove vital for the family to stay financially afloat as they struggle to move forward from the tragedy.

Source: lakeelsinore-wildmar.patch.com, “Coroner Identifies SCE Worker Killed In Electrical Accident,” Toni McAllister, April 25, 2013

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