Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog
Despite the recent drop in gas prices, gas is still much higher than it was a decade ago, and people are doing what they can to reduce the amount of money they spend on their daily commute. For some, that means buying smaller cars or trucks. For others, purchasing a hybrid, such as a Prius, is a good way to save on gas. However, the way to save the most on gas is to purchase a fully electric car. Toyota makes a Prius model with this option, as do Nissan and Chevrolet with their respective Leaf and Volt models. However, if you are looking for something sportier than one of these small economy cars, and are willing to spend around $100,000, you could get one of the new Tesla fully electric sports cars now available.
While driving an electric car has obvious advantages, you need to fully charge the car at your home before getting behind the wheel, because, if you run out of battery, you will have to plug the car in and wait hours before it is recharged. This limitation on driving distances is one of the major reasons more people have not adopted fully electric cars, and the lack of infrastructure around the country is not helping. Even in cities like Boston, where it would be perfect, there are not many places to stop and recharge.
One new option for electric car drivers, especially those who own a Telsa, is to pull up to a Tesla Supercharger station for a quick recharge. These allow drivers to fully recharge the battery in less than an hour, and, while this is still much longer than a five-minute fill-up, it is a lot faster than the several hours it normally takes to recharge a battery. There are plans to have a battery swap, where Tesla owners can take out the dead battery and trade it for a charged one at the charging station, similar to how you can switch propane tanks. Battery swap stations across the country are the only feasible way many people will ever adopt the technology, according to many experts.
While this new technology is exciting, as our Boston workers’ compensation attorneys have seen before, new technology often comes at a price, in terms of worker injuries and even on-the-job fatalities. According to a recent news article from WMUR, an employee was killed while installing a Tesla Supercharger. A fence secured the Supercharger, as the grand opening was scheduled for the next day. A coworker arrived at the station and found worker dead at the scene.
Authorities are waiting for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death, but they suspect he was electrocuted. Following this accident, some are questioning if the station is safe, but the company has said the same risks are not present when customers are charging cars, as they are when an employee is working on the station itself.
In cases where an on-the-job accident proves fatal, the family can still apply for workers’ compensation benefits, though they will technically be applying for what is known as a death benefits award.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Boston work accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Worker killed at Tesla Supercharger in Norfolk identified, August 1, 2015, News Chanel 3, Erica Greenberg
More Blog Entries:
Increased Fines for Employers Who Do Not Maintain Workers’ Compensation Coverage, July 22, 2015