Workers in the oil and gas industry in Colorado and other states often risk their lives during every shift they work. Sadly, many lives are lost, leaving surviving families reliant on death benefits from the workers’ compensation insurance system. The availability of these benefits may also ease the unanticipated financial burden of the surviving family members of a man in another state who lost his life in a workplace accident on a recent Wednesday morning.
A medical examiner’s office investigator reported that a 52-year-old employee at a refinery in another state died in an on-the-job accident shortly after 9:40 on Oct. 4. The only information made available about the incident is that the man fell from a scaffolding structure. The official cause of death is pending a toxicology result, but an autopsy report indicates blunt force trauma to the victim’s torso.
Further reports indicate that the deceased worker was not an employee of the refinery. He was employed by the company that provides industrial scaffolding. Workplace safety is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which reported that an accident investigation had been launched.
Any Colorado family who loses a loved one in a workplace accident will be entitled to file a claim for death benefits. Some choose to seek the support and guidance of an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to navigate the claims process for them. Benefits typically include coverage of the costs related to end-of-life arrangements along with survivor’s benefits that will be based on the deceased worker’s average weekly wage before death.
Source: mysanantonio.com, “Man dies from fall at Valero refinery in Corpus Christi“, Rye Druzin, Oct. 5, 2017
