Workers’ compensation: Florida job site tragedy

Construction work typically ranks high on most lists regarding risks for injury on the job. Workers’ compensation is an insurance program that provides benefits to employees when a workplace accident results in injury. Sadly, not all workers survive their injuries, such as one man who was recently trapped in a trench under a heavy mound of dirt.

Two workers were in the trench when the tragedy occurred on a recent Monday afternoon. At some point, dirt collapsed into the trench, entrapping both employees. Rescue workers transported one of the men to a nearby hospital. He was listed in serious condition.

The other man was taken to a different hospital, though he did not survive. Police say their investigation of the incident remains active. It is not yet known what or who may have caused the dirt to collapse. Investigations like this can take weeks, even months to conclude, and it is common for the Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration to launch an investigation of its own after a worker has been fatally injured on a job.

Many Florida companies and communities have grieved the loss of workers in similar job site accidents. Benefits collected from filing a workers’ compensation claim can be used to pay medical bills and replace lost wages. The immediate family of a worker killed in an on-the-job accident can consult with an experienced workers’ comp attorney to discuss entitlement to survivors’ benefits. An injured worker may also find legal consultation helpful, especially if an insurance carrier denies an initial claim.