Accidents can happen on the job in just about any industry. However, when workers must maneuver around and in between large vehicles every day, the likelihood of someone getting injured on the job increases, as does the chance of a serious or even fatal injury.
For a recent example of this, one need only look to a UPS facility in Atlanta. A worker at that site, a man in his early fifties, had been with the company for 17 years. Trailers were docking for unloading during the afternoon shift. The worker was standing on the ground level as a trailer approached a dock door, struck him and ran over him. He died from injuries suffered in the accident.
While many Bremen residents will be familiar with workers’ compensation in the context of an injury, the system also provides death benefits for workers’ surviving dependents as well. The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation considers a spouse, children, and any stepchildren who are dependents as eligible for workers’ compensation death benefits. The amount is roughly 66.6 percent of the deceased’s average weekly earnings but cannot exceed a maximum weekly sum of $575.
Unfortunately, workers’ compensation death benefits can be reduced or denied just as regular workers’ compensation benefits can. Few grieving families will have the resources to devote to pursuing a claim or standing up for their rights in what seems should be a clear-cut case based on their irreplaceable loss. This is when a legal professional can serve as an important part of a family’s support system.
Source: WSB-TV Atlanta, “Longtime UPS employee killed after being hit by truck on loading dock,” Dec. 15, 2017
