Wrongful Death Lawsuits Filed By Families of Loved Ones Fatally Injured In Work Related Accidents
As work related fatalities are happening more frequently, two families are now bound by similar tragedies in unrelated accidents and are seeking compensation for their losses. The families of two workers who died in work-related accidents have filed negligence and wrongful death lawsuits against their employers and other individuals involved after family members were killed in accidents while working.
In the first incident, a man from Fresno died in a medical helicopter crash on December 10th, 2015. The family is suing the company who owned the helicopter, Rogers Helicopters, and claiming negligent operation of the helicopter as well as negligence in how the helicopter was maintained. Two other individuals in the helicopter were also killed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident to determine the cause of the crash. [http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/family-of-paramedic-killed-in-medical-helicopter-crash-last-month-files-lawsuit, January 2016]
The other family filing a wrongful death lawsuit is the family of a man who died operating a forklift in July, 2015. The family is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of the property where the man died. The family is seeking $1.2 million in damages. The suit is filed against Gateway RT, DTZ Americas, NACCO Materials Handling Group, and Blue Giant Equipment and Roberts Loading Dock Equipment Company. According to the accident report, the man was using a forklift to unload a truck when the truck suddenly moved forward, causing the forklift to fall. The man fell backward, striking his head on the door plate of a loading dock. [bnd.com/news/local/article56114820.html, January 2016]
The wrongful death lawsuit claims that the facility did not take proper safety precautions, nor did the manufacturers of the forklift provide any safety measures that would have kept the driver safe. The facility was fined by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) for not having docking safety structures in place. The citation was given “for not providing a workplace free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.”
Wrongful death statistics show that in 2014, there were 4,585 workplace fatalities in the United States. Texas had the most fatalities, with a whopping 508 workplace fatalities in 2014, much higher than the lowest state, Vermont, which had only 7. However, any number of fatalities is far too many. Workplace wrongful death lawsuits help keep companies honest and expose unsafe work practices that make the workplace dangerous for others. [bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.t05.htm, January 2016]
Improper operation of equipment and lack of safety procedures and equipment cause multiple workplace fatalities each year. If your loved one has suffered a work-related fatality or injury you may be entitled to seek compensation for your loved one’s wrongful death. Contact Wright & Schulte today to see if you are eligible to seek compensation for the wrongful
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