Tag Archives: workplace accident

Firefighter injured battling fire in a house in Kansas

In Kansas, work-related injuries have become quite common. For people whose jobs are risky, such as firefighters, construction workers or workmen engaged in mining industries, incidents of workplace injury are often reported.

Sometimes, a workplace injury leads to major accidents. Injuries and accidents mean huge expenses, loss of a valuable resource and, often, huge medical bills. Who is responsible for workers’ injuries? Who is going to pay all these expenses? These are the questions that the injured victim and the family of the injured person often ask.

In a recent incident in Kansas, a firefighter injured himself after falling down the stairs while battling an early morning house fire. At around 2:15 a.m., the fire was reported and the crew of firefighters rushed to the home. However, there was nobody inside the house. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It caused $60,000 worth of damage.

Organizations should try to provide a safe working environment for the employees. An injury to an employee results in huge loss of resources. Loss of resources is a huge loss of money. Sometimes, employers neglect the safety of the workers in this risky business. According to a U.S. report, every day, 12 people go to work and never return. The family and friends suffer a huge emotional loss as well as financial loss.

If people find themselves in a similar situation, they can claim compensation if the injury occurred in the workplace Workers compensation provides wage benefits and medical benefits to people who have been injured in the workplace. This compensation can help employees as they get back on their feet following a workplace accident.

Source: The Kansas City Star, “Firefighter injured battling Kansas City, Kan., house fire,” Mar. 7, 2014

Report shows decrease in workplace injuries, increase in severity

According to a recent report, the rate in which non-fatal work injuries and illnesses occur across the U.S. has declined. The severity of these injuries, however, has increased.

In 2011, 117 cases per 10,000 full-time workers had to stay home from work as a result of a workplace injury or illness. This number decreased in 2012, as only 112 cases per 10,000 spent days away from work. Though this shows a decrease in the amount of serious workplace injuries — serious, in this case, defined as an injury that requires days away from work — other numbers show an increase in the severity of these injuries.

In the report, severity is measured by the average days a worker is required to spend away from work. The severity of injuries appears to be trending upwards, as a median of eight days was reported in 2011, while that number increased to nine in 2012.

Severe workplace injuries can have devastating effects for an employee. They may require days — if not weeks, months or years — away for work, which oftentimes results in lost wages. Lost wages can have an enormous impact on the injured worker’s pocketbook, making it difficult to cover necessary expenses and the medical costs associated with workplace injuries.

Thankfully, employees injured as the result of a workplace accident have a chance to receive help covering medical costs and lost wages. Workers’ compensation allows workers in such situations to apply for compensation. This compensation provides workers with an exclusive remedy — but first, these employees must file a claim and follow guidelines which determine eligibility.

Source: Tire Business, “U.S. workplace injury rate declines but severity up,” Nov. 27, 2013

Kansas FedEx worker injured on the job, dies in hospital

A workplace accident can happen to anyone at any time. Even in the most unlikely scenarios, an unexpected fall or roof collapse can take someone by surprise and result in injuries — or, in the worst case scenario, rob a worker of their life.

A worker died recently in suburban Kansas. The man, a 62-year-old FedEx employee, was taken to a hospital after being pinned between a dock and a trailer. A trailer was pulling out of the FedEx lot when the man slipped under it. He died while being treated for his injuries. The accident is under investigation and the cause was not immediately known.

When a worker is killed or injured on the job, there can be many complications for both the victim and the victim’s family and loved ones. Of course, every accident — whether it results in mere cuts and bruises or a fatality — has the potential to be traumatic, and there is often lasting emotional pain and suffering.

But then there is the pain and suffering that can be costly in a more literal sense. In many cases, contracting an illness or suffering an injury at work will result in lost wages — something family members and victims often cannot afford. What’s more, victims and their families are often left with hefty medical expenses from hospitalization and the long-term treatments these injuries and illnesses can require.

Thankfully, there is a way for victims involved in such accidents and their families to claim benefits from their employers. Even when the employer is not at fault, workers may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits that offer employees the chance to receive an exclusive remedy to help ease the pain and suffering caused by the accident.

Source: The Kansas City Star, “FedEx worker dies after being pinned between dock and truck in Shawnee,” Nov. 20, 2013

Company must answer for death of worker and pay millions in fines

Kansas residents should pay close attention to a case involving a plant in South Dakota. In the news, individuals often hear of injuries or even death occurring at various places of employment. However, this most recent case should prove to be illustrative for both employees and employers.

Adams Thermal Systems is a company that manufactures cooling systems for engines in both highway and off-highway vehicles. In 2011, an employee of the company was tragically killed in workplace related accident due to the company’s failure to provide a safe working environment. The worker was instructed by management to bypass a security measure in order to keep a machine that makes radiator cores running. The worker was crushed in the machine.

The company has finally reached a an agreement with both the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s office to pay just over $1.3 million in fines and criminal penalties as a result of the death of their employee. The settlement is composed of $450,000 which will go the widow of the deceased spouse, a criminal fine of an additional $450,000 and an OHSA fine of $435,000 as a result of over 66 violations.

When a workplace accident or death occur, the employer is liable to the injured worker or their family in the form of worker’s compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation benefits are both state and federal mandated. These benefits not only cover the negligence or carelessness of an employer, as in the above case, but it also covers instances where it is the employee who was being negligent. There are certain limits to worker’s compensation and employers may try to deny claims in particular situations, including ones involving drug or alcohol use by their employee.

Kansas residents who have been injured on the job should immediately file a claim for worker’s compensation benefits. Experienced legal professionals are available to assist victims and make sure that they receive all the compensation to which they are entitled and that they employer is brought to justice.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, “Adams Thermal Systems to pay $1.33 million to resolve OSHA citations, criminal penalties in 2011 death of worker at South Dakota plant,” Sept. 5, 2013