Workplace accidents can occur for a variety of reasons. When they do occur, it is important for injured workers to understand their options for recovery. Workers’ compensation, of course, is available for employees from their companies, but other compensation may be available. In addition to workers’ comp, injured employees may be able to file a personal injury against non-employer parties responsible for an accident.
A Pennsylvania truck driver, for instance, recently filed a federal lawsuit against two New Jersey companies he accuses of improperly training their employees in the process of capping a pressurized truck tank. That failure led to a fracture in his right hand which required surgeries and significant pain and suffering. He is seeking over $75,000 in damages.
One scary aspect of the accident is that one of the workers’ who had overfilled the trucker’s tank with pressure admitted that similar accidents have occurred before. Sources said a total of five people had apparently been injured in connection with pressure tank accidents, two of whom were killed, one by decapitation. Obviously, this is a real safety issue.
Sources didn’t specify whether the injured trucker received any workers’ compensation in connection with the accident. Clearly, his losses were significant, though, making personal injury litigation a good route to go.
Employees who are injured on the job need to understand all their options for recovery and to work with an attorney experienced in handling workplace injury cases. Doing so will help ensure appropriate compensation is received through all appropriate avenues.
Source: The Pennsylvania Record, “Injured truck driver blames accident on inexperienced workers,” Jim Boyle, June 13, 2014.