Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog

In a case from the Supreme Court of Mississippi, an employee who worked at a petroleum refinery factory was seriously injured while on the job.  However, he was not technically a statutory employee, but rather a contractor.

In a typical situation, a contractor would not be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits, because he is not an employee, which is a requirement to collect worker’s compensation benefits. However, this does not mean that the injured worker would not have any recourse. Continue reading

In a case from the Supreme Court of the State of Nevada, the claimant was working as construction driver for a paving company.  While he was at work one day, he was driving a truck, and another worker on the job site hit his truck with a backhoe.  When this occurred, he suffered severe injuries to various parts of his body, including his head, neck, knee, and back.

After this workplace accident, he filed a claim for workers’ compensation, and his employer accepted the claim.  After he had received workers’ compensation benefits and was treated for his injuries, his employer closed the claim and told him how reopen it should his condition get worse in the future, as they were required to do under the relevant state statute. Continue reading

Food trucks have gained popularity in recent years. While food trucks have been commonly seen at construction sites and outside of factories for decades, these days they feature more gourmet food items and have become very trendy.

However, with increased popularity comes heightened risk for criminal activity.  We have seen various cases where the trucks were burglarized or even stolen entirely, and we have also seen incidents where food truck owners and employees have been robbed. These are largely cash-based businesses, so it is not hard to see why this is a significant threat. Continue reading

According to the Boston Globe, a worker at the distribution center of a major Boston area supermarket chain was killed in an on-the-job accident. The accident occurred during the early morning hours on the loading dock of the facility, and the worker was 51-years-old at the time of his death.

Authorities say he was working on the loading dock when the tractor-trailer on which he was standing started to move away from the loading dock without warning. The worker ended up falling between the newly created gap between the loading dock and where the truck once was.  Not only did he fall down to the ground, a full size forklift that was also on the loading dock fell off and landed on the worker, killing him instantly.  Continue reading

According to a recent news article from 12 WSFA, three workers were drilling a water well when they accidentally hit a pocket of natural gas that resulted in a major explosion.  This was a pocket of naturally occurring methane gas that was trapped underground until it was violently released by the workers’ drilling equipment.

Authorities say the freed methane gas became ignited under pressure, and that resulted in a large explosion.  The three workers were burned in the accident.  When paramedics arrived on the scene, they treated the workers’ burn injuries at the site of the explosion and then transported them to a local level-one trauma center for further care and treatment.  Continue reading

According to a recent news report from the Boston Globe, a worker was killed in Braintree while he was diving to inspect an enormous water tank with his son nearby.  The tank is four stories high and was filled with freezing cold water at the time of the incident.

Authorities report the man was hired to inspect this huge water tank and was inside of it that morning when he reported to others on the site that he was having trouble with his air supply.  This was around 10 a.m.  This communication was he last. He thereafter lost contact  with workers on the surface, who were the last to see him alive. Continue reading