Most people would assume that one of the greatest risks facing a worker in a boom lift might be that of a fall from a relatively high height. However, there are many unseen and potentially unexpected workplace hazards. As a result, states such as Illinois require employers to provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees to protect them financially in the event of a workplace accident. The family of one out-of-state man may qualify for such benefits after a fatal accident took the life of their loved one.
Rescue workers received calls about the accident around 9 a.m. one morning in early January. When they arrived on scene, they discovered an unconscious man in a boom lift. After draining hydraulic fluid to cause the boom to lower and moving stock, they were able to access the 64-year-old man.
Unfortunately, the man had died. While the boom was not in contact with electric wires when rescuers arrived, it is believed that either he or his lift may have come into contact with them. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the accident.
The unexpected loss of a loved one can leave a family in a precarious financial situation. While it will likely do little to ease their grief, the workers’ compensation benefits required by state law generally extend to dependent family members in the event of a fatality. Unfortunately, people in Illinois who have found themselves in this situation have discovered that the path to compensation after a workplace accident is often long and difficult. Having assistance can help ease the process and help injured workers, or their families, seek the compensation to which they may be entitled.
Source: northcoastjournal.com, “UPDATE: Worker Killed in Mill Accident”, Grant Scott-Goforth, Jan. 6, 2015
