Fatal workplace accident of Massachusetts man not a crime

Responsible employers in Massachusetts want to provide a safe work environment for their employees. They offer safety training and have programs in place to ensure their workers are as safe as they can possibly be. Sometimes, however, despite all their precautions, a workplace accident occurs that forever changes the lives of the people affected.

A Massachusetts man working at Logan Airport was killed recently when he was hit by a truck. The man was with a coworker in the cargo area early one evening. The coworker was driving a truck and began to back up. He ran over the man, who was standing at the rear of the truck at the time.

The man was critically injured and died at the scene. The coworker went into shock when he realized what had happened. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. An update on his condition was not available at the time of this report.

The coworker has completed testing to ensure he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time. Officials will have to obtain a court order to get the test results. In the meantime, they have determined the coworker was not impaired or paying attention to something else when the accident occurred.

A workplace accident that results in death is a tragedy for everyone involved. The man allegedly responsible may never be able to recover from his grief and sense of guilt about what happened. The family of the man who died may need help dealing with the red tape of worker’s compensation death benefit claims. If that’s the case, a strong legal advocate could be one of their greatest resources during this trying time.

Source: boston.com, Logan Airport worker’s death considered to be an accident, not a crime, John R. Ellement, Dec. 31, 2013