Illinois worker dies after fall from roof in workplace accident

On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Construction Workers’ Accidents on Thursday, May 30, 2013.

A 55-year-old Illinois construction worker went to work a few weeks ago likely thinking that it was just any other Friday. As evening was setting in, the construction worker was making some modifications to the roof of a building in Albany Park in Chicago, when the worst happened. The man slipped and fell from the roof of the building.

Likely, a horrified witness in the park at the time of the accident quickly called emergency responders. The worker was transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, but the man could not overcome his injuries and shortly after arrival, he was pronounced dead.

The nature of the accident remains under investigation, and the preliminary reports from the medical examiner’s office were only able to say that the death was a workplace accident. We recently discussed how an overwhelming majority, 76 percent, of roofer fatalities are caused by falls on the job.

The surviving family of a worker killed on the job in Illinois can receive burial benefits and survivors’ benefits under workers’ compensation, but this does little to ease the immense pain brought on by the sudden loss of a loved one. The alarming statistics surrounding roofer fatalities may cause many to wonder: What more can be done to increase safety?

Unfortunately, many employers are more concerned with quickly finishing a job to turn a higher profit than they are with workplace safety. This leads to many workplace fatalities across the nation every year. For many of these families, considering the financial impact is secondary to the overwhelming grief brought on by the loss of the loved one. An attorney can be crucial in helping a family remain financial secure as the family works through their pain following a workplace accident.

Source: CBS Chicago, “Mount Prospect Man Falls To Death From Albany Park Roof,” May 25, 2013