When one heads out the door to go to work, they certainly don’t expect they will never come back. However, a workplace accident can strike just about anyone, particularly those who work with dangerous machinery. One recent accident shows that just about anyone can be the victim of a workplace fatality.
Recently, a Goodyear tire plant worker in Virginia lost his life while on the job. The employee, who had worked for Goodyear for 26 years, reportedly was killed in an industrial accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is performing an investigation to determine what lead to the worker’s death. A fatal incident had also occurred at that site back in August. A worker died when she became stuck in machine rollers. After an OSHA investigation in September as well as in March, Goodyear was fined almost $17,000 due to a number of serious violations.
In Virginia, if a worker is killed while on the job, his or her survivors may be eligible for death benefits. Such benefits may include burial costs, transportation costs and depending on the situation, other types of compensation. Depending on the survivor’s age, wage replacement may also be an option.
Death benefits can be an absolute life-line for those who have lost a loved one in a workplace accident. Not only have they incurred expenses associated with the death, but they must now make ends meet without the victim’s salary. Those who need more information about workers’ compensation death benefits may want to consult with a Virginia workers’ compensation attorney to learn more about the options available to them.
Source: WDBJ7, “UPDATE: Goodyear identifies employee who died Thursday at Danville Plant,” March 31