Kansas residents whose jobs require them to work near highways or busy streets know how hazardous their work environments can be. Constant exposure to speeding cars and other construction site perils put them in danger daily. Because of this danger, it is important for workers to know their legal rights and the options available should anything unfortunate occur on the job.

Sadly, one worker was fatally injured on the job in south-central Kansas recently. The worker, a tow-truck operator, was struck by a vehicle while securing a disabled bus to his truck. He was completing a routine job of towing a tour bus away when a westbound vehicle crushed the worker when he was standing by the trailer of the bus.

When a worker is killed or injured on the job, the company the worker represented may be liable for the damages. If a company fails to provide a safe work environment, or violates any of OSHA’s many regulations, then that company is exhibiting negligence and recklessness. Any examples of recklessness can be used by victims and their families to build a case of employer negligence, allowing them to receive workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits help cover lost wages and medical expenses that have resulted from an accident on the job.

Victims and their families who have suffered as a result of a workplace accident will likely need to review their options. Oftentimes a strong argument can be formed that can ease the burden placed on victims and their families by allowing them to receive the compensation that they are owed by negligent employers.

Source: The Topeka Capital-Journal, “Worker killed in highway hit-and-run,” Phil Anderson, Nov. 6, 2013