Family of industrial accidents victim could seek compensation

On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Industrial Workers’ Accidents on Wednesday, January 28, 2015.

An out-of-state company that was previously fined twice for violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations is now under investigation again. Although the details of the prior violations were not reported, the most recent accident involved a worker fatality. It’s possible that the victim’s family will decide to pursue death benefits on his behalf, an option that is also available to families regarding victims of fatal Illinois industrial accidents.

The incident occurred during the employee’s final shift with Southwest Fabrication Center. Apparently, the man was set to start a new job in another state. Before he could complete his final day of work, a piece of his clothing became stuck in some equipment and tragedy struck.

Another employee came to his aid while others phoned 911, but the attempts to help the victim were unsuccessful. He died due to the injuries he suffered from the equipment with which he had been working. It’s unclear whether emergency workers were able to make it to the scene in time to attempt any life saving measures.

Since the accident, both OSHA and state police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances that led to the victim’s death. While most people in Illinois likely already know that workers’ compensation benefits can help those who have been injured on the job in industrial accidents, people may still be unaware that families can receive death benefits on behalf of their lost loved one. We last discussed death benefits on Nov. 17, 2014 (“Seeking workers’ compensation death benefits shouldn’t be hard”). These benefits are often crucial for families seeking to move forward after a devastating workplace accident.

Source: abc15.com, “PD: Man dies after industrial accident in north Phoenix“, Navideh Forghani, Jan. 12, 2015