A recent accident in Wichita took the life of a landscape worker. The 47-year-old was reportedly hit by a car as he worked alongside the road. A police officer indicated that the vehicle, driven by a 20-year-old, was not fully on the road when the collision happened. The car also hit a fire hydrant that flooded the street with water.
A woman who arrived at the scene happened to be a medical assistant, and she and another woman tried to help the man by performing CPR. Unfortunately, by the time emergency responders arrived, the victim had already passed away. The accident was still under investigation at the time of a July 29 report in The Wichita Eagle.
The police officer who commented on the accident warned pedestrians and drivers alike about roadside dangers, but it would certainly appear, if the driver’s car hopped the curb, that the worker was simply doing his job when he was struck.
In a case in which a work-related accident leads to the death of a worker, workers’ compensation benefits may be available to the family of the deceased. However, if a worker was injured or killed by the negligence of a third party, a personal injury or wrongful death claim may be a better course of legal action. In the event that faulty work equipment caused a worker’s injuries, a product liability lawsuit may be necessary for the injured party to receive compensation for damages.
In our Leawood and Topeka law practice, we help individuals and families understand their legal rights under our state’s workers’ compensation and personal injury laws. To learn more, please visit our workers’ compensation site.
Source: The Wichita Eagle, “Landscape worker killed when car leaves road, hits him in southwest Wichita,” Raymond Howze, July 29, 2013
