Death claims may not bring back a loved one, but they can help families feel like some justice is being restored. Filing a death claim is not easy on the loved ones’ family. In a way, it is like putting the family through a traumatic event twice. Los Angeles death claim attorneys want the victims’ families to peacefully move on, so they take care of handling the wrongful death case. Jobs that pose more of a risk than others deserve to pay the victim’s family-dependent death benefits.
Eric Wickstrom, a 34-year-old lineman doing utility work for the Southern California Edison Company, was electrocuted to death. Southern California Edison Company, had a contract with Eric’s employer, Diversified Utility Services, to do maintenance work on distribution lines. They would assist the company in doing repair work on damaged poles.
Wickstrom got stuck against the pole when attempting to lift the cross-arm—being stuck left Wickstrom out of reach from his bucket that had his aerial lift control. To help Wickstrom, a crew member tried to use the secondary aerial lift control but instead caused the bucket to hit the power lines, resulting in Wickstrom being electrocuted.
The Southern California Edison Co. failed to follow its safety policies. The circuit should have been de-energized before Wickstrom started working on it to avoid getting electrocuted.
Allegedly, the circuit on the pole was dangerously outdated, according to the lawsuit.
Due to no fault of his own, Wickstrom suffered death because of another employer’s negligence. The widow, Stephanie, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the company.
To file a death claim against an employer, specific rules and conditions apply. The claim for the burial expenses or death benefits has to be made within one year of the date of the death.
There is also a difference between filing a workers’ compensation death claim and a wrongful death lawsuit. In the case of Eric Wickstrom, the wife would be suing for wrongful death since a third party, the contractor, caused the workplace death.
For a wrongful death lawsuit, the victim’s death needs to prove that it was a direct result of the third party’s negligence.
According to the United States Department of Labor, 5,333 fatal work injuries were recorded in the recent reporting year. The number of deaths due to exposure to electricity was 166.
Restoring some sense of justice will hopefully make it easier for the victims’ families to move on, knowing they put up a good fight for them. No family deserves to go through a traumatic loss of a loved one. At Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach, our knowledgeable and dedicated Los Angeles death claims attorneys are prepared to recover the compensation the family deserves.
If you or someone you care about has lost a loved one due to negligence at work, do not wait to reach out to us by calling us at 818-609-7005 or by clicking here.
