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Workplace injury: Workers find excavator operator unresponsive

On Behalf of | Feb 23, 2016 | Firm News, Workplace Injuries

A Colorado man is in a critical condition in a Trenton hospital after he reportedly suffered a medical condition at work. The Trenton Police and Fire Department were called to an incident at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge on a recent Wednesday morning. It is not clear whether the incident was caused by a workplace injury or natural causes.

According to other workers at the construction site, the 42-year-old worker was operating an excavator when he drove the machine into a retention pond. Two workers reportedly arrived at the pond to see the operator unresponsive and slumped over the controls of the moving excavator. They clambered onto the large machine to cut the power before it could break the ice on the pond.

The unresponsive excavator operator was removed from the machine by firefighters. The excavator was already partly submerged in the water by that time. The man was secured on a forklift platform that was used as a means of transport to get him to dry ground. He was transported to the hospital from where he was reported to be in critical condition. One of the two workers who got onto the excavator to help reportedly suffered a fractured leg.

If this man’s medical condition was work-related or caused by a workplace injury, he will be entitled to pursue workers’ compensation benefits to assist with medical expenses and lost wages. Similarly, the worker whose leg was broken is also entitled to file a benefits claim with the Colorado workers’ compensation insurance program. If his injury prevents him from returning to work for some time, a portion of his wages will also form part of the compensation package.

Source: thenewsherald.com, “Man in critical condition following accident at Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge”, Ashley Sword, Feb. 18, 2016

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