Valdosta, GA — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a report saying that there was a fatal accident in the Valdosta area of Georgia late last year. The accident involved a forklift, the report said, and a worker died as a result.
Though it’s not clear what happened, it appears that the man was working for TLC Building Components at the time and may have been at the company’s Valdosta location when he was killed. The reports released by OSHA state only that the worker was struck and killed by a forklift while working — but didn’t clarify if he was using the forklift or not.
It doesn’t look like OSHA’s completed their investigation yet, though.
Map of TLC Building
View from the Road
Commentary:
With any kind of construction project or worksite, you inevitably have multiple contractors, subcontractors, and delivery drivers racing around the area. The reason I bring that up is because if this worker had been hit by another company’s forklift, then there might be a third-party claim to be made. Under normal circumstances, an employee’s workers’ comp benefits they get through their company will cover things like lost wages, medical bills, etc. But, workers and their families really only get a fraction of their income when they receive workers’ comp benefits. It’s different in every state, but in Texas, nearly every worker is limited to making only about 80% of their income per week or the state average income, which is about $800-775. For some, that’s very helpful and a good resource, but for those earning a little more or who are further along in their career, it isn’t helpful at all. That’s why I mentioned the third-party claim possibility, because you typically have more bites at the apple that way, so to speak. I don’t know what happened here, obviously, but I think it’s worth discovering whether the accident was caused by a third party (another company/crew) or a co-worker.
— Grossman Law Offices