Articles Posted in Fatal Work Injuries

Any job requiring workers to go on active roadways is extremely dangerous. Even with road closures, lookouts and reflective clothing, workers are killed on the job on a regular basis.

According to a recent news article from WTNH, roadwork crews from across New England showed up at the funeral of a worker killed on the job to pay their respects. The funeral included hundreds of workers and a procession of public work vehicles traveling to the cemetery.

The worker who died on the job was working with his crew to fill in potholes, when his life was tragically cut short. Police say victim was working on placing a patch on a large pothole when a public works’ truck began backing up. Driver did not see victim and hit him with the truck.
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According to a recent report from NY1, an elevator mechanic fell to his death while on the job. He was working in a luxury tower building on the Upper West Side in New York at the time of fatal workplace accident.

One resident interviewed couldn’t believe what happened as she had just spoken with decedent prior to the tragic work-related fall accident. Another resident said they were headed to the lobby to leave the building and saw chaos as the building was filled with police and rescue workers and the elevator shaft was locked open.

Police say victim was pinned between two elevators, one of which came down directly on top of him. He was crushed when the elevator hit him and pronounced dead on the scene. When emergency personal first arrived, victim was unconscious and not responsive. The workplace accident occurred just before noon.
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There is a lot of work that goes into setting up a major event like the Super Bowl and that means a lot of workers are on hand. With such a large production, it is an unfortunate reality that some of those workers will be injured. Tragically, it is being reported that a worker hired to help set up a large stage outside the stadium was killed on the job.

The stage was located outside of University of Phoenix Stadium, and was being built to host the NFL Tailgate Party. The victim was a rigger, which is an employee hired to move large object high above street level.

Witness say the worker was on a tower being constructed to hold up the stage when he fell approximately 25 feet. He was severely injured during the fall and required immediate medical attention. First responders arrived and provided initial treatment and transported the 31-year-old victim to a local hospital. However, doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival at the hospital.
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According to a recent article from My Edmonds News, a construction worker in Washington was killed in an on-the-job injury. According to witnesses, the man was working in a ditch with a compressed air tool when he hit an electrical line.

Witnesses heard a loud bang that may have been a transformer explosion. The worker was electrocuted and died on scene. The electrical disturbance resulted in a power outage to the area. The state department of labor and industries is investigating the accident. The medical examiner is also working to determine an official cause of death.

Your Boston workplace injury attorney know, while many do not think of workers’ compensation in the case of the death of a worker, as opposed to an injury, filing a workers’ compensation claim is often the appropriate action.
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According to a recent article in the Metro West Daily News, a construction worker has died from his injuries sustained during employment at a job site in Framingham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.

Witness are reporting the decedent was working at a university campus when he fell about 20 feet. He was airlifted by helicopter to a local trauma center, where he died from his injuries.

The contractor who had employed the worker said he was cutting metal pipes in the interior of a stairway at the time of his fall. The company said there was nobody else working in the area at time of the fatal accident. Local authorities, the district attorney and the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOAH) are investigating the accident. The investigators are waiting for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth to release findings from the autopsy for any clues as to why the worker fell to his death. One can imagine that while the injuries were obviously caused by the fall, the autopsy may reveal pertinent information about his physical condition at the time of accident.

As our work injury lawyers know, falls are one of the more common reasons for on-the-job fatalities. According to a recent state report, nine out of 48 workplace deaths in Massachusetts were due to falls. Six of those nine deaths occurred in the construction industry.
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Our workplace accident lawyers understand that sometimes clients may be able to file a civil lawsuit in addition to their workers’ compensation claim.

A story from 7 News Boston discusses a truly horrific rape and stabbing of a teacher while she was at work. This teacher was employed by the Department of Corrections in Arizona. She was teaching a class at a prison unit that houses sex offenders. The prison allegedly did not provide any guards for the protection of the teachers or issue the teachers any type of safety equipment.

After teaching a class, the teacher was raped and stabbed, according to reports. The alleged assailant has been charged with rape, kidnapping, assault and other charges. The victim has filed for workers’ compensation to compensate her for the physical and mental and pain she has suffered since her attack.
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Our workplace injury attorneys would like to take the opportunity to thank the many brave first responders and emergency personnel this Fourth of July weekend. While most Americans have the day off from work and are having a relaxing and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend, many emergency personnel and first responders will be out in force keeping all of us safe. Whether they are patrolling the highways, standing by at sporting events and fireworks displays, or performing any number of important tasks, they remain on the job.

Each year, firefighters, police officers, ambulance drivers, EMTs, and paramedics, rank among the most dangerous occupations. Firefighters expose themselves to all kinds of risks every time they go out on a call. There are dangers related to driving to an emergency, smoke inhalation, and falling objects during fire rescue operations. For police, the most common cause of workplace injuries are vehicle collisions and being assaulted during an arrest. EMTs and paramedics are commonly injured in typical on-the-job situations, plus the many dangerous job tasks associated with helping patients. One particularly scary risk is contracting a blood borne illness from accidental needle sticks. Trying to restrain a patient in a moving ambulance to give an injection is no easy task.

While there is no doubt that these first responders know they are putting themselves at risk, as many of them have adopted the motto “so others may live,” when they are injured on the job, they deserve to receive fair and adequate workers’ compensation benefits. Unfortunately, securing adequate benefits can sometimes be a real problem. In Florida, for example, there is a two-year limit on workers’ compensation benefits for emergency personnel.
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