Workers and families harmed by a construction accident are protected through workers’ compensation and the legal system. Sadly, a construction accident in the Saginaw area recently killed a construction worker.
A 40-year old Saginaw man was killed on a local college campus construction project. According to an investigation, one construction worker was operating an excavator to dump stone into a ditch when the excavator slid into the ditch and fatally injured the 40-year old construction worker. At the time of the accident, the worker who was killed was re-arranging gravel in the ditch after the excavator dumped it in. The worker who was killed was employed by a private construction company. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is continuing to investigate the accident.
Victims of construction accidents and their families may suffer a variety of damages including physical, financial and emotional damages. Workers injured in a construction site accident can receive workers’ compensation benefits in most circumstances which can cover medical expenses and lost wages. In addition, families of workers killed in a construction site accident may be able to receive death benefits through the workers’ compensation process. Depending on the circumstances, the nature of the accident and the status of the worker’s employment, additional legal options for recovery of damages may also be available.
Because workers and families can be harmed in number of different ways following a construction accident, there are a number of different options that may be available to workers and their families to assist with the damages they have suffered following a construction accident. The different options available to ensure workers and their families are properly compensated following a construction accident can be complex which is why it is important that workers and their families are knowledgeable concerning their rights and the resources available to them when harmed.
Source: mlive.com, “Construction worker killed in excavator accident at Delta College,” Cole Waterman, July 13, 2015