Everyone in Arapahoe County remembers the horrible massacre that happened not that long ago at Columbine High School, in which two students terrorized a school for just under an hour. One of the individuals who was in the school, now 30 years old, recently died after sustaining fatal work injuries. Sadly, the young man was electrocuted while at work.
The power company for which he worked, Excel Energy, is looking into this tragic accident, as well as local law enforcement. Had this accident happened in Colorado, the man’s family would have been able to apply for dependency and death benefits. As it is, his family is likely wondering whether any kind of safety procedure could have prevented his death.
Workplace accidents, whether fatal or not, are difficult to deal with. They leave someone incapacitated and unable to work, oftentimes through no fault of the employee. He or she could have been doing everything right, but his or her employer did not properly follow safety procedures or failed to train its employees, causing a serious accident. Ultimately, however, it doesn’t matter who is at fault for the work injuries; the Colorado workers’ compensation program provides benefits for anyone injured at work, even if he or she was at fault.
It remains to be seen what caused this electrician’s death or whether it could have been prevented at all, but it is certain that there will be an investigation into the situation surrounding the young man’s death. Hopefully the power company will make any changes it can to prevent these kinds of accidents in the future.
Source: KRQE News 13, “Columbine survivor dies in NM work accident,” Dick Knipfing, June 20, 2013