Lessons from Connecticut Slayings? North Carolina Workers Compensation Analysts Mull Implications of Workplace Deaths
On August 3rd, the entire country (including the normally provincial North Carolina workers’ compensation community) was shocked by a series of brutal workplace slayings in Manchester, Connecticut. An employee of Hartford Distributors, who claimed that he had been racially discriminated against, opened fire on his co-workers and shot and killed eight of them before he committed suicide at the scene.
The tragedy shocked central Connecticut. The employees and owners of Hartford Distributors (along with the company’s insurer, Hanover Insurance) must still be reeling from the disaster. Since the eight deaths occurred at work, the families of the slain employees should be eligible to collect death benefits through workers’ compensation. The families will have until next August 3rd to file claims, and analysts believe they will likely be able to secure hefty settlements given the grisly and very public nature of the deaths.
Interestingly, some industry analysts believe that the implications of this workers’ comp case could go well beyond Manchester and reverberate throughout the entire beverage manufacturing industry. After all, insurance companies set their rates by calculating risk probabilities. And this Manchester shooting and the (likely) large workers’ comp settlements it will yield will put pressure on insurers to revise how they appraise the risk of insuring beverage companies. So, in a very indirect way, the shooting could have ultimate implications for North Carolina workers’ compensation insurance.
If you or a coworker or a family member has suffered serious injuries at work, you likely need savvy guidance about how to proceed. Often, injured workers who don’t understand this system wind up with inadequate compensation for their disabilities. This makes the process of getting rehabilitated and returning to work that much more difficult – particularly in today’s testing economy. For help now with your case, get in touch with a creditable and results-proven North Carolina workers’ compensation law firm.
More Web Resources
Hartford Distributors
