It may go without saying that an injury that takes one away from their job in Massachusetts will likely have a huge financial impact. That impact may go beyond the injury victim and affect their families as well, making injury cases that claim the lives of their victims all the more devastating.
Yet those experiencing such devastation may have some hope of financial assistance (especially when the accident that took their loved ones was work-related). Workers’ compensation death benefits may help to cover funeral costs and to replace a decedent’s income. As is the case with many workers’ compensation claims, however, earning benefits in such a scenario is often complicated.
Fallen officer’s family finally granted workers’ compensation benefits
One need only review the ongoing case involving the family of a fallen police officer in Maryland to confirm this fact. Per the Baltimore Sun, the officer died after sustaining a gunshot wound in the line of duty in 2017. However, he was not with his partner at the time, and few details exist detailing the circumstances of the shooting. The officer faced a trial the next day involving evidence planting, and some believed that he may have actually killed himself to both avoid scandal and ensure his family received his death benefits. The police department cited this theory in denying workers’ compensation benefits to the family up until recently, when both sides announced a settlement to the case.
Earning death benefits following work-related accidents
As this case illustrates, claims involving workplace fatalities may not always be “cut-and-dry,” and companies may look to absolve themselves of liability if certain scenarios. It is in such scenarios where having access to reliable legal resources may prove to be a great benefit.
