Forest education ranger dies in work accident at park

When North Carolina workers go to their jobs in the morning, their every expectation is to come back to their families safe and sound. When things do not go as planned and they get injured in a work accident, not only is the injured worker traumatized by the injuries they have sustained, but their family members are also devastated by the incident. In addition to this, if the injured or deceased worker is the main breadwinner of the family, it can put an enormous financial strain on the victim’s family members.

This may be the turmoil a North Carolina family is going through after they lost a loved one in a work accident at the Tuttle State Educational Forest in North Carolina. A 31-year-old education ranger was using a tractor to move a tree out of the road when the tree snapped, and hit him on his chest. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he later succumbed to his injuries.

As an education ranger, he spoke to hundreds of school children who came to the forest on field trips. He worked for the Forest Service for the last 11 years, of which the last seven were with Tuttle Forest. The park was closed after the accident.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration went to the scene of the accident to look into it and begin their investigation. It can be a few months before the results of the investigation are revealed, but if an employer is found negligent after an accident, they may have to fix the problem and pay a fine.

A victim’s family members can file a workers’ compensation claim with the victim’s employer. Though nothing can bring back the life they lost, a successful claim can make finances available to cover the costs associated with the accident and also highlight an unsafe working environment.

Source: WSOC TV, “NC Forest Service employee dies in tree accident,” Dave Faherty, Aug. 14, 2014

Source: WSOC TV, “NC Forest Service employee dies in tree accident,” Dave Faherty, Aug. 14, 2014