Attorney Sean C. Flaherty Represented the plaintiff of a Workers’ Compensation Death Case
Managing Partner and injury attorney, Sean C. Flaherty, of Keches Law Group, settled a workers’ compensation case for $1.4 million on December 4, 2018 – a record workers’ compensation settlement in Massachusetts for the year. The case, docket #1981615, argued employer misconduct under M.G.L.c. § 28, claiming there were safety violations that led to the accident.
The Plaintiff was a 28-year-old union laborer who was tragically killed in a work accident on July 31, 2015. The employee was a reliable worker for over six years, and a husband and father to two young children. The Plaintiff fell victim to the accident while on the job which could have been prevented with proper safety protocols and inspections by his employer. The employee was working in a trench during his shift and the trench wasn’t stable causing it to collapse. The trench immediately flooded, drowning him before help could arrive.
The employer was making survivor benefit payments to the widow of the Plaintiff, but Attorney Flaherty deemed it not enough to cover the impact that the accident left on his wife and children. After filing a claim under M.G.L.c. § 28 for serious and willful misconduct against the employer, negotiations between the Insurer and Keches Law Group commenced. The Employee’s counsel was able to cite a number of serious violations found by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Although, the insurer opposed all allegations, the matter settled for $1.4 million benefits toward the Plaintiff’s widow and children.
Nothing will ever feel like suitable compensation after losing a loved one, but tragic accidents happen, and often times the source is negligence to safety which is preventable with the proper occupational procedures. Lives can change drastically following such an event, and Keches Law Group is always ready to fight for the victim and send a message to those who may be responsible so it doesn’t happen to another family.
