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A worker in Bethesda was killed on September 16th when he became pinned between an excavator and a home. The accident occurred at 8:35 a.m. Though fellow construction workers attempted to free the man from his predicament, the worker later succumbed to his injuries at Suburban Hospital. Two other workers were injured during the efforts to rescue the deceased man.
The Montgomery County Police apparently visited the scene. Also, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Department is in the process of investigating the worker’s death.
It’s still far too early to hazard a guess as to what occurred. Fatalities at construction sites often occur due to working conditions, the negligence of another worker or because of faulty equipment. In many circumstances, a combination of factors could result in a workplace incident.
Presumably, the worker left family members behind. Workers’ compensation laws are put in place to compensate family members of workers that have been killed upon the job. There is no need to establish fault as long as the fatality occurred while a worker was performing job-related duties. Still, the procedures for families to collect workers’ compensation benefits are often complex and it generally takes an experienced attorney versed in Maryland workers’ compensation law to make sure benefits are doled out correctly.
Should the accident be related to a defective product or negligence of another party not connected with the victim’s employment, there may be other avenues to recover outside of workers’ compensation law. In such a circumstance, it may be useful to contact an attorney that understands personal injury and products liability matters as well.