Articles Posted in Work Injuries

A 59-year-old construction worker from Streamwood lost his life on Tuesday in a tragic workplace accident involving a piece of machinery, according to the local McHenry County sheriff’s department. Early reports are not clear as to what caused the accident that left the worker dead but the incident is under investigation by local police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

It appears that the worker was struck by a Bobcat, a brand of machinery most associated with compact size and generalized function, including excavators and front end loaders. Reports indicate that the employee was hit with the machine while on a job site at a pole barn maintenance building in Union, located on Hemmingson Road. The employee died at the scene and an autopsy revealed cause of death to be multiple blunt force traumas to the man’s head, chest, and abdomen.

Workplace accidents can happen in any setting and to any employee but construction workers are at a particularly high risk of injury, or unfortunately in this case, death. The nature of construction work means that a job site may contain heavy machinery, explosives, exposed materials or product, and other safety threats and hazards. As a result, many construction workers suffer on-the-job injuries every year and some sustain permanent damage as a result.

Illinois law provides employees with protection in the event that a work injury occurs in the form of a mandatory employer-funded insurance program known as workers’ compensation. Commonly referred to simply as workers’ comp, a form of this program has been in effect in Illinois since 1912. For over 100 years, injured workers have been entitled to bring a claim for their damages and to receive proper compensation for their losses.

The system is designed to provide injured workers with fair and equitable coverage in an automatic fashion but unfortunately it usually does not work that way. Often, injured employees are denied benefits even though they are entitled to them, leaving these workers without needed medical treatment and with an inability to provide for their families. Additionally, these claims can be very complicated and in some situations nearly impossible for an employee to bring on his or her own, placing the employee at a serious disadvantage when compared with the employee’s company and the company’s staff of lawyers. To make sure an injured employee’s rights are protected, the employee is entitled to retain a lawyer of his or her choosing to bring a claim for benefits.
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A flash flood is being blamed for the death of a sewer worker on the north side of Chicago Wednesday night, drowning the man in a surge of water, according to local police.

The 25-year-old victim was one of two workers doing repair work in a sewer in the 3000 block of North Rockwell Street last night as heavy rains hit the city. The worker reportedly detached his harness to reach a narrow area of the sewer to perform repair work when a rush of water traveled down the sewer, catching the man and moving his body more than a block north of the repair site. By the time he was found, the man had drown in the sewer.

The other worker in the area was harnessed at the time the water hit and was not swept away like the victim. This worker was able to be pulled to safety where he could alert others to the predicament of the victim and attempt a rescue. Police and firefighters responded and used a remote camera in the sewers in an attempt to locate the victim as well as searching the Chicago River in case the man traveled to the end of the sewer. After about two hours, the victim’s body was recovered.

Sewer work can be very dangerous even to the most experienced and skilled employees. Not only are these workers exposed to machinery, sewage, and animals but also the potential for a water surge, as this incident illustrates. These dangers and others are why Illinois law requires that workers in the state be provided with protection in the event of a work injury or death through insurance coverage.

In the event of a work injury, an employee is entitled to obtain necessary medical treatment and to have that treatment paid for by his or her employer. The employee may also be entitled to compensation for lost wages and for a lump sum payment for other damages, including pain and suffering. In the worst cases, though, a worker is killed on the job and may leave behind a family that is irreparably damaged from the loss. In that event, the surviving family members may be able to recover financially against the worker’s employer for the extent of their loss, though no amount of money can properly compensate these families.
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While working at a site repaving a portion of the street, a 48-year-old construction worker was killed on Thursday after being pinned under a piece of equipment. Local authorities report that the man was at a site in Englewood in the 6200 block of South May when something went wrong, trapping the man under equipment.

At this time it is not clear exactly what type of equipment trapped the man but witnesses have confirmed that other construction workers were aware of the incident and rushed to the man’s side, attempting to remove the equipment and extract the man. Eventually the victim was freed by several crews but his injuries were severe and he was pronounced dead while still at the scene.

One coworker reported that the victim had over 20 years of experience working in road construction and that no one is clear exactly why the man became trapped. At this time, authorities report that they are continuing an investigation into the incident and into the man’s death.

Thousands of work injuries involving Illinois employees happen every month and in every work environment. From an office setting to a warehouse floor, an employee can be hurt on the job regardless of what that employee’s responsibilities are. Yet some employees are at a greater risk of serious injury and death than others and top among these categories are employees who work in construction.

There are many inherent dangers in a construction zone and they can vary between sites. Most construction sites involve some heavy machinery and some ground alteration, meaning that large equipment is often present as are large holes in the ground. Often, construction workers are injured in accidents with machinery or by falling into an improperly marked excavated area. When this happens, another employee’s negligence is often to blame.

Some workplace injuries are minor and allow an employee to return to his or her job after receiving medical treatment, but unfortunately many injuries are severe or fatal, as the injury in this case was. When a work injury prevents an employee from returning to work, any claim brought against the company by the employee may include a claim for future lost wages from that job.
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Authorities recently charged an 18-year-old man with aggravated battery of a taxi driver, criminal damage to property, and theft of labor in an incident in the South Shore neighborhood. The teen has been arrested and is in jail in lieu of a $125,000 bond.

Police say that the teen hired a cab driver from an Elgin-based company to take the man to his South Shore neighborhood. It is not clear exactly where the teen was picked up but officials believe it was approximately 55 miles away from the South Shore and could have been in Carpentersville. The driver of the cab took the teen’s id as collateral for the long ride and proceeded to take the man to his neighborhood.

However, when the cab driver got to the designated drop off point, the teen refused to pay the $175 bill for the services. Instead, according to police, the teen pulled out a container of bleach and threw the bleach in the eyes and face of the driver. The driver experienced a burning and painful sensation to his eyes and skin and it is not yet known if he sustained any permanent damage.

Incidents like this are not only criminal but very dangerous to taxi drivers. When a passenger threatens a driver, the driver is often unable to remove himself from the threat, being unable to flee from his cab. This means that too often, the driver becomes a crime victim, either of a robbery or a battery, like occurred in this case.

Not only did this driver suffer injuries but his cab was damaged and he did not receive payment for the fare he lawfully deserved. Illinois law allows workers who get hurt on the job to bring claims for their injuries and any lost wages they are unable to earn. The law requires employers to pay for medical bills, including those for surgery or rehabilitation, and to enable employees to get the care they need.
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A CTA bus driver was performing his job on Friday evening when an irate passenger threw hot coffee on him, seriously burning the driver’s face. The incident occurred near the Jefferson Park transit center on the north side around 10:00 p.m.

The CTA driver was operating a bus on the 85A/North Central Avenue route and was in service but was stationary at the terminal when a male passenger boarded the bus. The passenger accused the driver of failing to pick him up earlier; though the driver attempted to explain that the passenger had not been at a designated stop and therefore the driver did not know the man wanted to be picked up, the passenger did not except the driver’s explanation. Enraged, the passenger took a cup of hot liquid, believed to be coffee, and threw it in the driver’s face.

The driver was taken to Resurrection Medical Center but was later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center to receive treatment in the burn unit. The driver’s current condition is not known but authorities have stated that the driver suffered second degree burns to his face, scalp, and arm that may result in permanent scarring. The passenger is currently being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Police responded to the incident and arrested the 32-year-old male passenger. He has been charged with aggravated battery to a transit employee and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. After his arrest, police say the suspect admitted attempting to flag down the bus but falling and injuring himself. The man said this angered him and led to his rage aboard the bus that culminated with him throwing his coffee. The CTA has said the incident was caught on security camera.

In this case, the CTA driver was obeying the rules and regulations set forth by the Chicago Transit Authority and was just performing his job when he was injured by the intentional actions of a passenger. Cases like this leave employees injured and hurt, often unable to work. Some of these injuries may be permanent. To protect employees, the law allows workers to bring claims when they are hurt on the job.
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An on-the-job accident claimed the life of a 47-year-old Berwyn man on Tuesday, according to authorities. The man died from multiple crush injuries after sustaining hits from multiple falling objects at M.S. International, his employer, in Elk Grove Village.

According to its website, M.S. International sells premium surfaces for floors, countertops, wall tiles, and outdoor hardscaping. Their products include tiles, countertops, slabs, and stones made out of marble, granite, quarts, stone, sandstone, and slate, to name a few. The location in Elk Grove Village is a distribution center and serves an unknown area with product. The details of the fatal incident are not yet clear but authorities have confirmed that the man was struck as several objects fell to the ground and that the man was pronounced dead at M.S. International early Tuesday morning.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more commonly known as OSHA, confirmed that it is investigating the incident but it has yet to provide any more information.

Workplace accidents happen every day in Illinois and unfortunately result in the death or injury of thousands of workers each year. OSHA is charged with enforcing workplace safety and keeping statistics of work-related accidents, and they state that 4,609 workers were killed in accidents in the United States in 2011. This averages to nearly 90 workers per week or 13 workers every day. Of those national fatalities, 117 occurred in Illinois, 20 of which were caused by contact with objects and equipment. That is nearly two workers each month who are killed in this manner, leaving their families without the support they once provided.

Illinois law protects any worker who is injured or killed while on the job by providing workers’ compensation to those employees. This means that a worker who gets hurt is entitled to have their medical bills paid, to be paid for any time they miss work due to the injury, and other financial benefit, depending on the injury. If the worker is killed, then the worker’s family is entitled to compensation for their loss. This type of claim is fairly unique in Illinois because a worker or the worker’s family is entitled to this coverage regardless of who was at fault for the accident.
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According to the Associated Press, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that it has asked a court to enjoin Zidan Management Group and Dubai Construction from conducting demolition of a nine-story building in Chicago’s North Side. Once a mental hospital and hotel, the building was constructed in 1923, a time when asbestos use was very common in construction. According to the EPA, inspectors and the city discovered that Zidan and Dubai did not inspect, or handle and remove, the asbestos appropriately, resulting in high levels of asbestos contamination.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that is used in certain products, including building materials, in order to create resistance to heat or corrosion. A few common places where it is located in some older homes are artificial ashes and embers, certain roofing and siding shingles, the floors around wood-burning stoves, plus hot water and steam pipes. Workers may be exposed to asbestos while constructing, renovating or demolishing a home or other building.
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In early March, two explosions and a fire at a paint coatings plant in suburban Cary reportedly injured three people. According to Cary Police Chief Steve Casstevens, an explosion unexpectedly occurred at Fox Valley Systems, Inc. just before 1:30 pm. As local firefighters battled the ensuing flames, a second explosion reportedly caused serious damage to the building located in an industrial complex about 45 miles northwest of Chicago.

Witness reports stated firefighters arrived at the scene quickly and battled the blaze in the snow with both water and foam. Casstevens said approximately 25 area businesses were evacuated as a precaution due to the presence of several large chemical tanks at the burning facility. Three people allegedly sustained unspecified injuries in the incident.

Following the explosion, John Kim, Director at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, reportedly sought to forbid the facility from resuming operations until the cause of the blast is determined. In addition, Kim supposedly asked Attorney General Lisa Madigan to pursue a court order that would prevent any continued operation until clean-up and corrective actions could be taken. Kim purportedly stated that chemicals released in the fire subsequently migrated to a nearby retaining pond.

Normally, serious workplace accidents like this one are investigated by the nation’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 in an attempt to decrease severe worker injuries and fatalities. The Act mandates that all employers must provide workers with safety training and comply with a number of safety-related requirements. Additionally, employers are required to furnish a workplace environment that is reasonably free of preventable health and safety hazards. When an employer fails to adhere to the requirements of the Act, OSHA may investigate and issue various levels of violations. An employer who places workers at risk may incur fines and be required to remediate any safety hazards discovered by the agency.

Although most workplace accidents in Illinois are regulated by state Workers’ Compensation laws, a worker who is injured or killed as a result of the actions of a third party such as an equipment manufacturer may be eligible to receive additional damages. An employee who was hurt in an accident that took place at an Illinois workplace is authorized to receive his or her medical costs, disability pay, and compensation for his or her harm. If you were injured in an accident at work, you are advised to contact a quality personal injury attorney to discuss your options for recovery.
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In November, the nation’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued nearly $200,000 in proposed penalties to Chicago-based American Masonry Inc. for allegedly exposing employees to lead dust. Seven purported violations were uncovered when an OSHA investigator inspected a commercial building site in the City of Chicago. According to OSHA Regional Administrator Nick Walters, the masonry repair company knowingly placed workers at risk when it ignored health and safety regulations and exposed employees to excessive levels of lead when they sandblasted a building. Lead exposure is reportedly associated with a number of illnesses as well as neurological damage.

The violations allegedly committed by American Masonry include lack of a written lead compliance program, failure to provide facilities that would prevent lead contamination of a worker’s street clothes, failure to remove dangerous lead dust from the building site, and failure to implement a respirator or medical surveillance program. All of the citations issued to the company were allegedly willful. A willful violation occurs when an employer intentionally disregards legal requirements or operates with plain indifference to employee health and safety.

OSHA investigators normally monitor the health and safety conditions employees in Illinois and throughout the country face in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created OSHA in order to reduce the number of serious workplace injuries and fatalities across the nation. Provisions of the Act require that all employers comply with a number of safety-related mandates. In addition, employees must be provided with safety hazard training. When an OSHA investigator determines that an employer has failed to adhere to the requirements of the Act, the agency may issue various levels of violations. Fines and remediation of any safety hazards may also be required.

Although most workplace accidents are subject to Illinois workers’ compensation laws, an employee who is injured or dies as a result of the actions of a third party may be entitled to additional compensation. Regardless, an individual who was hurt in an accident at an Illinois workplace is entitled to receive disability pay, medical reimbursement, and compensation for any injury that resulted from the incident. If you or someone you love was harmed in an accident at work, you should discuss your case with a skilled personal injury lawyer as soon as you are able.
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