An Illinois family has many unanswered questions about the death of a loved one. After more than two weeks of uncertainty, they want to know why and how their father and husband lost his life in a work-related accident. The man worked for a wrecking company, and he was in an elevated basket when the incident occurred.
Reportedly, two members of the wrecking crew were cutting pipes in the elevator shaft of a building. An unknown fault or malfunction caused them to fall from the sixth-floor level to their deaths. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office says that although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation, the city is conducting its own inquiry.
OSHA investigators have six months to complete the investigation. The surviving family members of one of the deceased men say they intend to file a civil lawsuit as soon as they have more information about who was responsible for the accident. In the meantime, they are entitled to claim death benefits from the Illinois workers’ compensation insurance program to help with the costs of a funeral and burial.
An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can assist with the navigation of the benefits claim. The lawyer can also assess the circumstances that led to the fatal work-related accident and determine whether there are grounds for a civil lawsuit. There must be proof of negligence by an entity or person who is not linked to the employers of the deceased to file a third-party lawsuit in an Illinois civil court.
