According to a spokesperson with PSE&G, a Comcast worker was apparently killed while he was working on a utility pole in Glen Ridge on Feb. 5. Two employees working for the electric company reportedly found the man.
Two PSE&G employees responded to Appleton Road and Thomas Road to check on the utilities after multiple complaints about outages in the area. After locating a blown fuse, the men then checked the rest of the area, eventually discovering the Comcast worker.
The man was reportedly on a ladder that was propped up on the utility pole. He was unresponsive, and the two electric company employees attempted to get him down by using pole rescue training. When police arrived, law enforcement officers were able to get the man down from the ladder and pole. Attempts to revive him failed, and he was pronounced dead. The incident is still under investigation by the Glen Ridge Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
When a worker is killed in an on-the-job accident, their family is often left to deal with their sudden emotional loss and significant expenses. Additionally, families may have been dependent on the worker’s income, leaving them to deal with the extra expenses while suffering a large loss in household income. For this reason, workers’ compensation or death benefits may be available to the families of workers who are killed while on duty. By filing a workers’ compensation claim, a worker’s family may recover certain expenses and monthly benefits payments to replace a portion of their loved one’s lost income. In order to pursue such benefits I may be beneficial for the family to discuss the case with a workers’ compensation attorney. That attorney may be able to help review the case, fill out the necessary paperwork and submit the claim to the proper authorities.
Source: NJ.com, “Comcast employee killed while working on utility pole in Glen Ridge,” Dan Ivers, Feb. 5, 2015
