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Accidental Death Benefits


Although most workplace accidents result in minor injuries and limited time off work, there are rare and unfortunate circumstances when an employee may be killed on the job. Such circumstances are highly traumatizing and can result in months or years of confusion and grief. In the midst of comprehending what has occurred and handling family affairs, it is important for relatives to realize that they may be entitled to accidental death benefits for the loss of a loved one. The workers’ compensation attorneys at Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates, has helped advocate for individuals throughout Georgia as they fight for the benefits that they deserve. For your Free Legal Consultation, please kindly contact us at 770-865-8654, juliericelaw@icloud.com, or on our website contact form.

Accidental Death Benefits In Georgia

The state Workers’ Compensation Act provides a variety of benefits to individuals injured during a workplace accident, including temporary and total disability payments. Additionally, it also provides for compensation in the event of a job-related death. If the tragic loss occurs during a workplace accident, or is a later result of it, family members may be entitled to death benefits.

In order to obtain this form of assistance, relatives of an employee will typically be required to show that the accidental death arose out of and in the course of employment. This can mean that the fatality occurred while on the job or that it was a consequence of a serious injury that the employee incurred while working. The workplace accident need not be the only source of trauma causing the death. If the event aggravates a pre-existing condition or triggers a disease that ultimately takes the employee’s life, this may be covered by workers’ compensation as well.

Georgia law also favors recovery for family members who are bewildered by an unexplained cause of death. It presumes that a workplace accident was the cause of their loss when an employee is found in a location where he or she might reasonably have been because of his or her workplace duties, and the death is otherwise unexplained.

When a worker incurs an injury in the workplace, his or her employer will be required to pay for medical expenses that are incurred in attempting to treat the individual, even if he or she ultimately does not recover. Additionally, in the event of death, the employer will need to compensate family members for the “reasonable burial expenses” in an amount up to $7,500.

Finally, Georgia law also requires that continuing disability benefits be paid to any family members who are dependents of the employee, such as a spouse or child. This means that a dependent will continue to receive two-thirds of the employee’s weekly wage at the time he or she was killed, up to a maximum of $500 per week. Payments to a child will typically end when the child reaches 18, and payments to a spouse are capped at either 400 weeks of payments or a total amount of $125,000.

Discuss Your Case With Our Law Firm

If you have recently experienced the loss of a family member due to a workplace accident, you may be overwhelmed with handling medical expenses, burial arrangements, and the emotional strain of a lost loved one. If he or she was a primary breadwinner in the family, you may also be struggling with concerns about where your next mortgage or rent payment will come from.

The Workplace Accident Attorney Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates, understand these challenges and are available to assist family members throughout the Atlanta region in pursuing accidental death benefits as efficiently as possible. While these payments can never replace the loss of your family member, nor ease the pain of death, they can provide you relief from the stress of economic worries.

If you live in DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Cobb, or Gwinnett Counties, or elsewhere in Georgia, contact Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, and Affiliates at 770-865-8654, by email at juliericelaw@icloud.com or through our website contact form.