In certain lines of work, serious, even fatal injury can happen in an instant. Dangerous jobs, and even jobs that do not seem so dangerous at first glance, put workers in harm’s way nearly every day. When the worst happens and a worker in Kansas City is severe hurt or killed, he or she and his or her family may be left with mountains of bills and no income to pay them.
A man in another state was killed in an unusual work accident on Nov. 6. The victim was crushed under a tombstone at the cemetery where he worked.
Few details are available, but it is believed the victim was working to level the tombstone, which is more than five feet tall and weighs one ton. The tombstone somehow fell over and onto the man. Two visitors discovered what had happened and called for help. Someone, perhaps the visitors or another cemetery employee, called the police, but emergency responders were unable to save the victim, a 64-year-old man.
He was a supervisor at the cemetery. Other workers said they were in shock over the death. They considered him a good friend.
It is not clear if the victim was married or had children at home. Many disasters like this one cause a family to lose a beloved spouse or parent. Besides the loss of their place in their loved ones’ lives, such a death can create a large financial gap. That is why it is important that workers’ compensation provide survivors’ benefits to the relatives of those killed in the course of their job.
Source: The Monitor, “Gravestone kills cemetery worker in Edinburg,” Ildefonso Ortiz, Nov. 6, 2013