WORKERS’ COMPENSATION: 19-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN WORKPLACE ACCIDENT

While a workplace accident can take place anywhere, certain industries and work sites are more dangerous than others. Those who work in labor-intensive injuries often face serious safety risks that can threaten their health and well-being. This was perhaps the case for an Illinois man who was recently killed while working at railway site. Although workers’ compensation is usually associated with victims who need financial support during their recoveries, families can also seek death benefits after losing loved ones.

Emergency responders were notified of the tragic accident occurred shortly before 9:30 a.m. When police arrived on the scene, they discovered a 19-year-old was trapped underneath a load of large, wooden panels that are typically used during construction. He had been unloading the panels from a railcar when the load suddenly fell on him.

Paramedics and firefighters managed to lift the wood panels off the young man by using rescue equipment. Unfortunately, the worker did not survive the accident, and died at the scene. Multiple agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — OSHA — and the local police department stayed on-site to investigate what they understandably described as a tragic accident.

Illinois workers usually expect that they will return home safely from work. Unfortunately, some workers are injured or even killed while on the job. When a family loses a loved one to a workplace accident, death benefits through the workers’ compensation system can provide invaluable support, which can help bridge the financial gap as they try to move forward.