Most of us do not think twice about the safety of our spouse when we kiss them goodbye as they head out the door for another day of work. However, spouses across Maryland are devastated every year when they get the gut-wrenching phone call that their husband or wife was killed in a workplace accident.
The family of a Home Depot employee recently received such a grim call after the worker was crushed to death. Preliminary reports indicate that it appears as though the 56-year-old victim was driving a forklift when something went fatally wrong. Somehow the metal doors that the man was lifting became dislodged, falling and crushing the man.
The injured worker was transported to a hospital after surviving the initial trauma, but he simply could not overcome the catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, victims of workplace accidents in Maryland and across the rest of the country are injured every year when there is a lapse in safety protocol.
There are safety regulations that require regular maintenance and inspection of heavy equipment. Further, it is an employer’s duty to ensure that workers operating heavy machinery are trained and equipped to do so. The cause of this accident has not yet been determined, so it is not clear what went wrong or where liability will fall for this worker’s death.
When a worker is killed on the job, there can be financial compensation for the surviving family and dependents of the worker. An attorney well-versed in handling cases of workplace accidents can guide a family in pursuing full compensation for their loss.