A hazardous materials team was among the first responders to a crash that happened in Oregon recently. The team was investigating if any contaminant had gotten into our state’s waterways after a helicopter fell into the South Umpqua River. Those who had been in the helicopter were injured in the incident and may now seek a claim under the workers’ compensation program.
According to early reports from Oregon officials, the two of the men in the helicopter worked for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Each of them were biologists for the Department. It is unclear of they were monitoring fisheries at the time of the unfortunate crash.
The helicopter containing the men who were injured fell into the river in Douglas County. The impact left one of the victims with a broken back and the other with two damaged vertebrae. They were taken to a local hospital for medical care after the crash. There they will begin their recovery, a process that often leads to the needs for assistance from workers’ compensation insurance.
In Oregon, as is the case in other states, workers’ compensation is an insurance program intended to assist those who have been injured while on the job. The money that can be paid to injured workers can be used to help pay for basic expenses while a worker recovers before returning to work. In some cases, when the worker cannot return to their former employment, lifetime benefits can be important for those who suffered incidents like the one that happened on the South Umpqua recently.
Source: KPIC.com, 3 injured in helicopter crash in rural Douglas County, No author, Oct. 28, 2013