Legal Question in Workers Comp in District of Columbia
Father tripped and ultimately died while at work
My father worked as a government contractor in a government building. While walking out of the building for lunch, he tripped over the door threshhold, causing him to fall extremely hard. His head hit so hard it caused 'brain death' and within 3 days, his death.
Is my mother entitled to a workers comp death benefit? Is there some type of negligence or personal injury suit that can be filed against the government agency, or the employer? Should I retain an attorney?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Father tripped and ultimately died while at work
Your mother most definitely should seek the services of an attorney who is familiar with both worker's compensation law and personal injury law, in order to determine if she has claims worth pursuing. If your father was "in the course of his employment" there is a valid worker's compensation claim. Whether he was depends on several factors requiring some investigation. As for a personal injury/wrongful death claim, you would have to establish that there was something defective about the door threshold that caused him to fall, and that the party responsible for its maintenance had reason to know of the defect. Also, there are deadlines for taking action in these matters, so you should take immediate action if you want to protect your rights.
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