Many Oklahoma workers know what it is like to suffer injuries on the job. Even in situations where physical pain and disability are minor, an on-the-job accident can interfere a worker’s ability to do his or her job. Basically, that is why the workers’ compensation program exists, to help such workers cover medical expenses and make ends meet when they aren’t able to be on-site, earning paychecks during recovery.
In worst case scenarios, workers may not survive their injuries. An incident like this recently occurred in another state, leaving family members of the fatally injured worker and his entire community devastated. The young man was a highly decorated U.S. Army veteran.
He had been through combat. In fact, he received the Bronze Star medal, which is given to those who exemplify heroic or meritorious behavior in a combat zone. After returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, he got a job working at an organization that provides therapy to disabled military veterans and children. It was there that he spent his last day and there that he died after somehow being poisoned by carbon monoxide.
Workers’ compensation is often a means to provide for family members of a worker who succumbs to an injury suffered on the job. A good place to start to gather information about death benefits and how to navigate the process in Oklahoma is to request a meeting with an experienced workers’ comp attorney. Having an attorney by one’s side can bring comfort and support as family members try to rise above their grief and address difficult financial issues associated with their circumstances.
Source: wlwt.com, “After tragic work accident, body of Army vet returns home to Ohio“, Amanda Kelley, Jan. 10, 2018
