Construction accident kills 1, injures 1 in 30-foot fall
On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Construction Workers’ Accidents on Thursday, August 22, 2013.
Construction-type injuries are a prominent source of workers’ compensation claims. The reported incident did not occur in Illinois but it’s illustrative of a type of construction accident that occurs in the workplace. Furthermore, the employer of the two workers involved in the transmission line construction accident is based in Illinois. The accident took the life of one worker and injured the other.
The men work for Aldridge Electric, a company based out of Illinois. A 28-year-old man died and a 37-year-old Illinois resident suffered a construction site injury. Apparently, the men were being lowered into a 50-foot hole by a crane, when a strap broke causing them to fall some 20 to 30 feet into the hole.
Work on the foundations of the construction project at New Prague, Minnesota has been suspended until the immediate inquiries are ironed out and work can safely begin again. OSHA was reported on scene and is investigating the construction accident. Under the usual legal requirements, the agency will have six months to complete an investigation and determine whether any safety violations should be issued.
Under Illinois law and elsewhere, workers injured in a construction accident are compensated through workers’ compensation benefits. The immediate family of a deceased worker is entitled to collect workers’ compensation death benefits, including lost wages, medical expenses and funeral costs. An injured worker is entitled to collect lost wage benefits and medical expenses until being medically released to return to work. Disputes sometimes arise when the employer or its carrier tries to compel a return sooner than medically appropriate. In that case, the worker’s best option is to seek the guidance of a workers’ compensation attorney to make sure that valuable legal rights are protected.
Source: keyc.com, “Worker Dies in Workplace Accident Near New Prague,” Aug. 14, 2013
