Work-related deaths can be difficult to deal with, as they are often unexpected. When one heads out the door on their way to work in the morning, no one expects that the person will never return. One recent death in Pennsylvania highlights just how random such deaths can be.
One worker suffered a fatal workplace injury when he was electrocuted recently at a Pennsylvania mall. The man was working on a project to expand the mall. He was in a scissor jack lift at the time of the accident. The deceased was working on severing some electrical lines underneath the second level of the mall. He received an electrical shock from a live cable that was severed by another worker. He was shocked with 13,000 electrical volts.
The 36-year-old man was sent to the hospital, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and passed away. A second worker in the scissor jack lift was also injured in the incident, but he is expected to survive. A small fire was also ignited in the incident, but it was quickly put out.
Even though this man’s death was considered to be accidental, this does not lessen the grief in his loved one’s hearts. When a person loses a loved one in a work accident, they may incur some unexpected expenses. Coping with these expenses can be difficult when one is still reeling from the unexpected death of a loved one.
In situations like these, the victim’s loved ones may want to consider the possibility of taking legal action. In some cases, wrongful death suits can be pursued if the worker died due to the negligence of their employer or another worker, and the family incurred expenses as a result. In other cases workers’ compensation survivor benefits may be pursued. Filing a wrongful death suit or seeking survivor benefits is not always a straight-forward process and may require assistance.
Source: WPVI, “Worker Dies After Electrical Accident At King Of Prussia Mall,” April 16, 2015