San Bernardino Legal Blog

Many people know that they can file a workers' compensation claim if they are injured while on the job. What some people don't realize is that if a loved one is killed in a workplace accident, the family may be able to collect workers' compensation. Doing so may help the family cover outstanding expenses that can often result from these kinds of tragedies. One California family may be facing this exact situation after a man died in a recent accident while on the job.

Officials report that the accident happened on a recent early afternoon when an employee became trapped under a conveyor system on top of an old, unused silo. Apparently, the worker used a cutting torch to take apart a portion of the conveyor motor when the structure fell on him. He and an employee trying to free him were dozens of feet off the ground at the top of the silo. First responders freed the worker and brought him down from the silo and then airlifted him to a nearby hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, the man did not survive.

For many people in California and across the country, going to work is part of their daily routines. Unfortunately, a bad day on the job for some people could ultimately mean serious injury or even death. A report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shed additional light on incidents of fatal workplace accidents. 

According to the report, there was a slight increase in the number of fatalities from 2017 to 2018, with 5,250 deaths in 2018. Most of the deaths were transportation related, with 2,000 people -- approximately 40 percent -- killed in work-related transportation accidents. The second most common cause of fatalities in the workplace was related to contact with objects and equipment, including becoming caught in machinery or equipment or being struck by a falling object.

The vast majority of workers in California and across the country go to great lengths to protect their own personal safety as well as the safety of their co-workers. Unfortunately, even the safest of workers can find themselves the victim of a workplace accident. In fact, a man in another state was reportedly seriously injured in a recent accident.

The incident is said to have happened during the evening hours of a day in December. According to reports, the man was working at Blandin Paper Company. Reports indicate that at the time of the accident, he was operating a crane, working to unload pulp wood.

For many people in California, certain aspects of their job are relatively routine. Despite this, they are still at risk of becoming injured, which is why states require that employers provide workers' compensation insurance coverage. In fact, a man in another state may be entitled to comp benefits following an industrial accident.

The accident happened on a day in late November. According to reports provided by a representative of the union of which the victim was a member, the worker was a maintenance technician at a steel factory. While details of the accident are unclear, he was reportedly working on a blast furnace when he was struck by something.