Fatal accident may lead to workers’ compensation claim

A fatal accident on a work site in a Tennessee city is currently under investigation. The accident happened just before 05:00 p.m. on a recent Wednesday in October. The incident is being investigated by both the police and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) and may result in a workers’ compensation claim.

The deceased was trapped while working on a sewer line. The 28-year-old man and father of two was not employed by the city of South Pittsburg; instead, he was employed for this specific project by a private contractor. When the trench he was working in collapsed, he was trapped under an immense amount of dirt. He was seriously injured and transported to a hospital in the area, where he later passed away.

Friends of the deceased, who visited him shortly before the incident, expressed concerns regarding the safety of the work site. According to the friends, the soil in the ditch was wet after a water main broke earlier that day. Furthermore, nothing was done to ensure that the sides of the ditch do not collapse.

Tennessee families who have lost a family member due to unsafe working conditions may opt to file workers’ compensation claims against the employer. Damages awarded in a successful workers’ compensation claim may assist the family of the deceased employee in meeting associated expenses, such as medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, as well as loss of income. Such an award may provide a degree of relief to the bereft family during an understandably difficult time.

Source: wrcbtv.com, “UPDATE: Construction worker killed in ditch collapse in South Pi – WRCBtv.com“, Liz Overton, Oct. 6, 2016