A worker dying while on the job is, thankfully, a rare event, but when it happens, the tragedy has multiple levels. There is the loss of human life and what it means emotionally for the loved ones of that worker, but there is also a practical standpoint to consider, since the family of that worker may have relied on that person’s income, which is now gone. This is one of the reasons that workers’ compensation exists for employees here in California and across the nation. One recent construction worker accident in another state may result in workers’ comp claims after one man died and another was seriously injured.
The accident happened on a recent weekday morning at an excavation business. Two workers intended to perform maintenance on a dump truck. The men had to get underneath the bed of the truck and an excavator was used to lift the bed. The excavator failed and fell onto the two workers, trapping them. One of them did not survive and the other was left with serious injuries.
Local authorities say they are investigating exactly what happened, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will conduct a separate investigation based on initial police findings. There are many possibilities in an accident like this one. The employer may have failed to provide proper safety equipment or training, or the truck may have had some mechanical failure.
The injured worker and the family of the worker who died are likely entitled to file for workers’ compensation benefits in this situation. This may be the best way for those affected to cover related expenses, such as funeral costs or outstanding medical bills, not to mention replacing lost income. Workers and their families here in California can reach out to an attorney who knows how to handle workers’ compensation related to a construction worker accident to determine how to proceed.