When a Georgia worker dies on the job, the people who cared for that person are left to pick up the pieces. This is often difficult on many levels, but financial concerns does not have to be one of them. Workers’ compensation exists to help employees or their families through difficult times after an accident on the job causing injury or death. The recent death of a 26-year-old worker at a manufacturing facility is currently under investigation, though his family is likely still able to file for his workers’ comp benefits.
Authorities say the incident happened on a recent morning. Emergency workers received a call about an employee entangled in machinery. Despite a quick response, the man was pronounced dead roughly 40 minutes after the call was placed. First responders had taken him to a nearby hospital where staff there pronounced him dead. An initial autopsy shows that the man died due to blunt force trauma to his head, but a full autopsy report is pending and may reveal more information.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now investigating the matter along with local law enforcement to determine whether any safety violations occurred that may have contributed to the man’s death. The manufacturing facility, for its part, hasn’t had a citation in the last five years. For now, details regarding exactly what happened leading up to this employee’s death are sparse.
The family of the employee who died may be dealing with not just the emotional turmoil of losing a loved one, but financial difficulty as well. However, the loss of his income, funeral costs and any medical expenses incurred in trying to save the man may be covered by workers’ compensation, no matter what OSHA representatives discover about his death. Georgia families may also have this option and an attorney who understands this area of the law can help make that determination.