As many Illinois construction workers are aware, worksites carry numerous dangers. Often, these accidents can result in a debilitating disability or even death. Unfortunately for one 23-year-old man, he was killed in a construction accident before he had the chance to hold his newly born twin children.
The construction accident happened at a lodge construction site. Though the job was out of the state from where his family was, he took it in order to keep his family, which included his wife and four children, from being evicted from their home. The day he left for his job was the very day that his newborn twins came home from the hospital. Before he left, he wasn’t able to hold his newborn twins because they were born premature. Now, he will never get the chance to hold them ever.
Unquestionably, the family is struggling through this difficult time. However, the lack of information given to them with regard to this accident is upsetting them. So far, the construction company has not contacted the worker’s loved ones, nor have they received any of the pay that the man earned. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is the only organization that has made any contact with the victim’s family as it relates to the accident. OSHA is planning to conduct an investigation into the accident.
The hardest loss that the family must suffer is the fact that this man, who did everything he could for his children, can no longer be with his children and watch them grow up, all because of this construction accident. Unfortunately, this is a situation that too many Illinois families can relate to. As the family grieves, it may be possible for them to file a claim for workers’ compensation death benefits. While nothing can ever replace the man’s prematurely-ended life, they can at least seek some financial support as they struggle to come to terms with this tragedy.
Source: Williston Herald, “Construction accident victim focused on family: Man died shortly after newborns’ birth,” Jenna Ebersole, Sept. 1, 2012