Teen’s arm crushed in work-related accident

On Behalf of | Mar 14, 2014 | Workplace Injuries

New York residents may be interested in the story of a young man who recently was severely injured at a ski park where he worked. The 17-year-old high school student was performing his work duties at the park when his arm was crushed after it got caught in a roller brush on a ski conveyor lift.

The work-related accident happened on March 2 at Raging Buffalo Snowboard and Ski Park in Illinois. Co-workers are trying to raise $10,000 toward the injured teen’s medical bills. The boy has undergone several surgeries to repair his crushed arm. He is now out of intensive care, but is still not allowed to have visitors while he recuperates. The ski park closed following the incident and reopened the following Tuesday.

The ski park has no history of safety violations. In fact, the company has passed its past 22 safety inspections with flying colors. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be performing an investigation in order to ensure that the company was in compliance. It could be six months before the results of that investigation are finalized.

After an on-the-job accident, the main priority is the injured employee’s health. The employee should not try to hide the accident. That could make seemingly minor injuries worsen over time. The next step is to report the injury. Generally, an employee has 120 days to report the accident. After that, he or she loses the right to receive workers’ compensation benefits.

The young man in this case should be eligible to receive benefits. However, given that he was a high school student, he probably only worked part-time, so the amount he will receive will likely be minimal. If the investigation shows that the ski park did not provide the boy with proper training, then it could be held liable and the boy and his family may be entitled to more compensation.

Source: Daily Herald, “Teen injured in Raging Buffalo work accident improving,” Mar. 7, 2014

Archives