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Dedicated To Helping Injured
People

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Wrongful death claims possible after heavy equipment accidents

On Behalf of | Nov 4, 2017 | wrongful death

Louisiana is home to numerous construction workers and other individuals who work around and with heavy equipment. Sadly, accidents happen, and people lose their lives in accidents involving such equipment. When they do, surviving family members may be entitled to pursue wrongful death claims in an effort to seek compensation for their losses.

Between the years 1992 and 2010, in the United States, nearly 8,000 people lost their lives in work-related heavy equipment accidents. Most of these deaths occurred on construction sites — road or other. In the majority of cases, the heavy equipment involved in the loss of life was not listed as the cause of death, however.

There are certain jobs where heavy equipment-related fatalities are more common than others. These include truck driver, foreman and operating engineer. However, anyone who works around such equipment is at risk of suffering fatal injuries. Heavy equipment operators do make mistakes. When accidents happen, it is important to determine if negligence was the cause of the mistake.

When a loved one loses his or her life in a work-related accident, family members may be able to access workers’ compensation death benefits in order to help them cover their financial losses. Sometimes, this benefit is just not enough, though. As such, it may be possible for Louisiana residents to, with the assistance of legal counsel, pursue third-party wrongful death claims against the individuals deemed responsible for their losses. Taking such actions may not be easy, but if it proves successful, maximum relief may be awarded, which could offer continued financial relief and even some sense of justice served.

Source: cpwr.com, “Fatalities Involving Vehicles, Heavy Equipment, and Road Construction”, Accessed on Nov. 1, 2017