A recent construction accident involving a crane claimed the life of a construction worker. The accident occurred at a construction site located out of state on a recent Wednesday morning in January. When New Jersey workers die as a result of a work injury, their dependents typically file for workers’ compensation death benefits.
The worker’s construction crew was in the process of installing concrete wall slabs at the site. For reasons currently unclear, a crane aiding in this process toppled over. This resulted in a concrete slab being dropped, which knocked into another slab, causing it to fall over, authorities said. A worker estimated to be in his 20s was crushed when this second slab fell on him.
Firefighters managed to recover the body while officials from the state began their investigation. Both the Utah Occupational Health and Safety Division and the Utah’s Labor Commission confirmed that both agencies will be conducting a thorough investigation of this incident. Unfortunately, what caused this tragic incident is currently unknown and, unfortunately, may take some time to uncover, as an agency representative said it could take several weeks for this to be determined.
The state of New Jersey’s workers’ compensation program provides a means of providing benefits to individuals who were both related to a worker who was killed– for example, a child, spouse, parent, or sibling– and who also depended on them financially. The aim of this benefit, known as the death benefit, is to help dependents compensate for the sudden loss of financial support. This compensation is also typically used to help defray some of the typical end-of-life expenses that are often incurred by a decedent’s family, including burial costs and medical bills. It is typical for loved ones to consult with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in order to gain assistance with this process.
Source: fox13now.com, “Man killed after concrete slab falls on him at American Fork construction site“, Ashton Edwards and Lauren Steinbrecher, Jan. 26, 2016