Accidental Death Benefits

Every year, dozens of men and women are fatally injured in workplace accidents in Massachusetts. If you are the spouse or child of an employee who died of a workplace injury or disease, you may qualify for workers’ compensation survivor’s benefits or dependent benefits. Surviving spouses can receive weekly benefits equal to two-thirds of the deceased worker’s average weekly wage at the time of their accidental death for as long as they do not remarry. Children under age 18 who are full-time students also are eligible for workers’ compensation dependent benefits.

If your loved one has suffered an accidental death from a workplace injury or illness, you should talk to an experienced Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney about the benefits you are entitled to claim. We understand that no amount of money will replace your loved one. But workers’ compensation survivor’s benefits or dependent benefits may provide some financial security.

For a free case evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online or call us toll free at 800-367-0871. The experienced workers’ compensation attorneys at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., have more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of individuals injured in the course of their employment.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C. help injured workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth or Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

Unfortunately, employees suffer fatal accidents on the job every year in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. In 2009, Massachusetts recorded 59 accidental deaths in the workplace, two fewer than a year earlier. New Hampshire had six accidental deaths and Rhode Island had seven accidental deaths, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The leading cause of on-the-job fatalities in Massachusetts and nationally is motor vehicle accidents. Eighteen workers lost their lives in transportation-related accidental deaths, while 15 died in falls. Ten workers died from exposure to harmful substances and equipment, and eight died from contact with objects and equipment.

• Truck drivers;
• Construction workers;
• Construction laborers;
• Electricians;
• Roofers;
• Mechanics;
• Automobile technicians;
• Miners, extraction workers;
• Maintenance workers;
• Industrial machinery maintenance workers;
• Metal workers;
• Plastic workers;
• Commercial fishermen;
• Farm workers;
• Farm managers; and
• Protective service workers.

The Massachusetts workers’ compensation system is set up to ensure that employers have insurance to provide for dependents of employees whose accidental deaths are caused by workplace injuries or illnesses. Spouses as well as minor children who are full-time students have legal rights to workers’ compensation accidental death benefits. But Massachusetts workers’ compensation law is complex and navigating the workers’ compensation system to secure accidental death benefits after the loss of a loved one can be frustrating and confusing. The employer’s insurance company may try to dispute your family member’s accidental death was caused by a workplace injury or minimize the compensation you’re due.

When the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents has a hearing to decide your workers’ compensation accidental death benefits claim, the insurer will have a lawyer present to try to deny or minimize the amount of compensation you receive. It’s important that you have strong legal representation, too. You should have a knowledgeable workers’ compensation attorney from a widely recognized Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation law firm standing up for your legal rights.

While many Massachusetts lawyers practice in a number of different areas of the law, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., concentrate exclusively in the area of workers’ compensation. Our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys have more than 20 years of experience in all types of workplace injury cases — and we can help you.

We believe in a hands-on approach, providing individual attention to each and every client.  We do not pass off cases to other Massachusetts law firms or to junior associates. A client will have the same attorney handling his or her claim from start to conclusion.

Our workplace accident attorneys believe strongly that all clients should be well educated with respect to the laws and that they should be active participants in all facets of their workers’ compensation claim.  We are ready to answer workplace injury questions from workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth or Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

For a free, no-obligation evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online. The workers’ compensation lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates are here to help victims of workplace injuries. you may also call us toll free at 800-367-0871.