Personal Injury Law

Possible Chicago Injury Lawsuit Following Questionable Forklift Death

CBS News Chicago shared the details of a tragic Chicago work injury this week that occurred in suburban Melrose Park.

According to published reports, safety officials are probing the death of an employee at a recycling facility following a forklift accident. The 34-year old victim was an employee of JKS Ventures and was working on Monday morning. Details on the specific cause of the accident are undetermined. However, it appears that the man became pinned between a forklift and a semi-tractor trailer. He was rushed to a local hospital, but doctors were unable to stabilize him before he succumbed to his injuries. His death was ultimately ruled a result of compression asphyxia.

Unfortunately the death is not the first workplace loss for the company?an employee died in 2007 at the facility. The company has previously been cited for unsafe work conditions. Some of those previous citations involved forklift concerns. In total, authorities have sanctioned JKS on three separate incidents. The 2007 death involved a worker who fell 23 feet off machinery that he was greasing. That incident led to 21 citations being issued. Two more citations were issued the following year.

These workplace fatalities often result in Chicago wrongful death lawsuits. The law provides legal options to the families of those who die because of inadequate work safety conditions, dangerous truck driving, or any other negligent act. It is important for those who lose a loved one to come forward and assert their legal rights.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on March 18, 2011 (boomark / email).