An accident at a military installation in Missouri left one person dead and another person with injuries that authorities described as minor.
Officials said that both of the victims worked for the Department of Army in a civilian capacity. The accident happened in the middle of the day, and rescuers managed to arrive at the scene within minutes.
Both victims were taken to a hospital affiliated with the military base. Medical officials pronounced one of the victims dead a little over an hour after the accident. The other victim was released.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the accident, but the reality is that a family has a lost a loved one who they quite likely relied on for support. The family will also likely have medical bills, funeral expenses and other costs related to this loss.
Depending on the circumstances, the family may be able to get some help through workers’ compensation or a similar federal program. However, although helpful, these benefits do not always cover the full extent of a family’s loss.
Cranes are notoriously dangerous pieces of equipment. In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, has detailed requirements that companies subject to its jurisdiction must follow. When safety standards get overlooked or just ignored, workers and others may wind up getting seriously hurt or killed.
Oftentimes, many people and businesses share responsibility for a crane accident. A family who needs to cover their financial losses will want to investigate whether a business aside from the employer may have some fault for the accident and consider whether to file a wrongful death lawsuit.