The worse nightmare of a California parent is the loss of a child, regardless of that child’s age. This loss is often compounded when it is preventable, especially when it is difficult to get answers about what happened. Unfortunately, a mother in another state is claiming that the family was not notified after a woman suffered what proved to be fatal injuries in a work accident.
The incident that led to the woman’s death reportedly happened on a day in March. The victim was reportedly working for Labor Works, a company that provides temporary workers for a city’s sanitation department. Reports indicate that the woman fell off a city garbage truck and struck her head.
The woman died days after the incident. However, her mother claims that the victim’s employer did not notify anyone of the woman’s injuries; she further states that she discovered that her daughter was in the hospital after the victim’s boyfriend let her know that she had not come home after work, and they both repeatedly called her phone. Eventually a nurse at the hospital answered the phone and explained the situation.
The company that employed the woman claims that it is looking into the situation and attempting to make changes that would allow the company to do a better job tracking employees. In the meantime, the coroner has ruled the cause of death as blunt force trauma due to a work accident and has contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Unfortunately, the woman leaves behind a young daughter, and the family may be left struggling with the financial consequences of the loss. Because of this potential, states, including California, require that employers provide workers’ compensation insurance benefits for their employees.