Fatal Work Injuries

February 13, 2017

HVAC Worker in Worcester Dies in Fall Accident

For any workers who regularly toil on top of buildings, a fall injury is a significant risk that could result in serious injury or death. According to a recent news article from the Patriot Ledger, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) worker was killed when he fell off a building on which he was working in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The employee, who was 54 years-old at the time of this death, was working on the roof of a shopping center building that was approximately 35 feet in height. The accident occurred early in the morning, soon after he had started his shift. Continue reading

January 27, 2017

Worker Killed During Snow Removal

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating a fatal accident in which a worker was killed during a snow removal operation, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Authorities have said the victim was a carpenter hired on for the project that involved a major renovation at a storm water reservoir. This is a major project that is estimated to cost around $640 million by the time it is complete. The man was 55-years-old at the time of his death when he was hit by what is known as a rough terrain vehicle being used to clear snow so the work on the reservoir could continue. Continue reading

January 17, 2017

Cirque Du Soleil Worker Dies in On-The-Job Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When people go to the circus, they go to see the amazing things all of the performers can do. This is especially true in the case of Cirque du Soleil, where they don’t have any animal acts in the show. Many of the things these performers do during the show are dangerous or “death-defying,” as P.T. Barnum use to say.

However, in addition to the many talented performers, there are also many people on the crew that work to get the show up and running. While working on the crew is not typically billed as a daring stunt, like many other jobs, it can be dangerous or even deadly. According to a news report from CBS News, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently investigating an accident that involved a crew member of a Cirque du Soleil “Luzia” show that resulted in the crew member’s death. Continue reading

January 7, 2017

Terror Victim Fights for Treatment – Workers’ Compensation Issues

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

On December 2, 2015, 15 people were killed and 22 more were seriously injured in a mass shooting in San Diego that was later classified a terrorist attack. This was the horrific incident that involved a husband and wife who targeted a training meeting for employees of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, as well as an office holiday party. The couple who were killed by the police while attempting to get away had also planned to detonate a bomb.

Now more than a year has passed, and the victims are still suffering from serious medical conditions, both physical and mental, and they are being told that treatment is no longer going to be paid for to the same degree as it had, according to a recent news article from The New York Times. However, these victims are not fighting with a health insurance company, but rather with the workers’ compensation policy holders and plan officials, because many of these injures were classified at as workplace injury. Continue reading

December 14, 2016

Worker Killed at Nissan Plant

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to the Daily News Journal, a worker was killed recently at the Nissan motor vehicle factory in Smyrna, Tennessee. This is the automaker’s main production facility in the U.S. and is located just outside the Nashville city limits. This is a major production facility and is in the process of becoming the largest auto plant in the world if several planned expansion projects are completed in the future.

This worker was at the plant when he was involved in some type of fatal industrial accident. Following the tragic accident, co-workers and supervisors immediately called for help and first responders arrived at the factory. First responders did what they could to stabilize the severely injured employee and then called in a medevac helicopter to airlift him to Vanderbilt Medical Center, which is a level-one trauma center located in nearby Nashville. Continue reading

April 6, 2016

Massachusetts Worker Chemical Exposure Death Toll Decreasing

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Many workers are required to spend much of their day with potentially dangerous chemicals. While this is obviously true with an employee who works at a hazardous waste facility, it is also true of many workers who work at a big box store.

For example, a big box store that sells pool chemicals has to specifically train workers to be very careful around chemical spills and to avoid mixing certain chemicals together in the event of an accidental spill at is could result in toxic gas or a fire. However, despite the best preventative measures, there are still many accidents due to chemical exposure each year suffered by employees around the nation. Continue reading

March 5, 2016

Construction Worker Killed Falling from Building

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Working in the construction industry can be very dangerous. Many people are injured or killed each year as a result of using power tools, being crushed by heavy construction vehicles, and from fall accidents. According to a recent news article from the New York Times, a 62-year-old construction worker died after falling from a building in East Harlem in New York City.

Authorities say workers were performing major repairs on the building when the fatal on-the-job accident occurred. This was not one of the city’s well known skyscrapers, but the six story fall was clearly enough to prove fatal. Victim was working to replace rain gutters on the roof at the time of the fatal workplace accident when he fell to his death. Continue reading

March 1, 2016

Bakery Worker Killed in Mixer Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from CNN, a woman was working in a bakery mixing dough around 10 a.m. when she was killed in what is being described as an accident involving an industrial mixer. Authorities say she was using the large piece of commercial baking equipment to mix dough when she became trapped in the auger that was being used to mix raw dough.

It should first be noted that this machine was around three feet high and was not one of the giant mixers you might be picturing that would be used at a massive baking factory. While authorities are not completely sure as to why this fatal workplace accident occurred, it is believed she was wearing loose clothing that managed to become trapped in the augers. When this happened, she was actually pulled into the vat of dough and was killed. Continue reading

January 30, 2016

Company Managers Arrested in Connection with Employee Death

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, along with the rest of the nation, the workers’ compensation system is designed in such a way the claimant does not have to prove he or she was injured on the job as a result of the negligence of his or her employer, as it would be for a typical personal injury case. In a workers’ compensation case in Massachusetts, it is only necessary to establish that employee was injured and that his or her injury occurred on the job, or that employee suffered an illness that is work-related.

For an example of a work-related illness, the nail care industry is a good place to start. Many technicians spend their entire day working with harmful chemicals that cause skin conditions and respiratory illness, including severe breathing disorders. An employee who is eventually unable to work as result of severe respiratory illness would be required to show he or she had become sick as result of working in the nail salon. There would, however, be no need to prove the employer was negligent in any way. Continue reading

January 18, 2016

Pizza Shop Shooting Results in One Worker Dead and Another in Critical Condition

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The workers’ compensation system is generally considered an exclusive remedy system. This means that if a worker is eligible to receive workers’ compensation, he or she cannot file a civil lawsuit against his employer. It is important to understand that it does not matter if the employee actually files a workers’ compensation claim, because the test is whether he or she is eligible to file a workers’ compensation claim. This means that a worker cannot choose to a file a civil lawsuit instead of filing a workers’ compensation claim.

However, this does not mean that a worker cannot file a workers’ compensation claim with his or her employer and then file a civil personal injury lawsuit against a third party defendant who actually caused the workplace injury. This is typically the person who caused a car accident that injured an employee while he or she was on the clock, but it can also include a person who attacked a worker and caused serious personal injury or death. Continue reading