KILLED ON THE JOB

Posted in Workers' Compensation on December 17, 2016

Death on the Job

Workplace accidents can be life-changing.  There is nothing more life-changing than a worker that gets killed on the job.  This affects everything.  If your spouse was killed on the job, you have rights.  If the deceased worker has children, they have rights too.  Don’t assume that it is not work-related simply because the cause is not immediately know.  In many cases, if the cause of the death is unknown, the law presumes that worker’s comp. should be paid.

Life-Time Death Benefits

If a spouse is killed at work, worker’s comp. pays the surviving spouse up to 66% of the worker’s wages, FOR LIFE.  That money will come in, as long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried.  If they remarry, they get one small lump sum and then the checks stop.  However, surviving children are entitled to money until they reach adulthood.  This is true regardless of how long the marriage lasted.

Funeral Expenses

Paying for a funeral in any situation is difficult.  If you’ve lost a spouse who was helping with the household expenses, it can be devastating.  Workman’s comp. will pay for a large part of funeral expenses.  It is paid directly to the person who paid them.  You should not have to worry about this at such a horrible time.  This is true, even if you have to fight for benefits, but eventually win.

Call For Advice

Isn’t it worth a phone call to see if this could be a work. comp. matter?  If you wait too long, you could miss the statute of limitations.  Call the Crossman Law Offices at 602-248-0380.  You’ll speak directly with an attorney.  They can tell you pretty quickly if this is a possibility.

Avery N Crossman

Ms. Crossman is a Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation law by the State Bar of Arizona and past Co-Chair of the State Bar Workers’ Compensation Section. She has served as a faculty member at the State Bar Seminar on Professionalism and as a Judge Pro Tempore in the Maricopa County Superior Court. She is a long-time member of the Arizona Association of Lawyers for Injured Workers and has spoken at Workers’ Compensation seminars sponsored by the organization and the Industrial Commission of Arizona.

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