An Illinois man was killed in while working when a garbage truck overturned and crushed him. The work-related accident happened at a landfill in Rockford, Illinois on Thursday afternoon. According to authorities, the truck was full of 8 tons of concrete, wood, and steel. The police chief indicated that the 54-year-old man was attempting to unload one truck when the load in another truck shifted causing it to overturn. The worker was pronounced dead when emergency crews arrived and initial autopsy results determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the man’s chest. The accident is being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The identity of the victim will be released once next of kin is notified.
Individuals are killed in work-related accidents throughout the country every day. According to OSHA, there are 13 workplace fatalities that happen each day. Many of these accidents involve construction workers and are often from falls, being caught in or between machinery, electrocutions, and struck by objects. Consulting an experienced wrongful death attorney is imperative to determine the appropriate course of action in obtaining justice for your accident.
The St. Louis law firm of Meyerkord & Kurth has been built on a foundation focused on family values. Our father-son team fights aggressively for the rights of injured workers and the families that have suffered a devastating loss. While we realize that there is no amount of money that will ease the pain of losing a loved you, we also are firm in our beliefs that you are entitled to compensation for all of your economic and non-economical damages. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a workplace accident, contact us today.