Many in Providence may throw around the term “work yourself to death” in jest, yet in some cases, that literally happens. When people die or are killed on the job, the expectation from their families is that assistance will be made available through workers’ compensation benefits. However, many often forget that workers’ compensation funds are much like traditional insurers, in that if they believe a death or injury may have been due to factors unrelated to work, they will not pay. Often, they’ll try to back up these decisions with a clinical expert. In these cases, it is important for the families of victims injured or killed on the job to have their own source of medical expertise and to seek the help of experienced 
The family of a Pennsylvania man who died on the job was recently able to utilize such a source to successfully argue against a judgment issued by a Empoyees’ Compensation Appeal Board. The Board had ruled that her husband, who collapsed and died of a heart attack during the middle of his 14-hour work shift, could have died at any time due to his allegedly unhealthy lifestyle. Yet the victim’s wife presented testimony from a cardiologist who cited the difficult and strenuous working conditions her husband faced in his job as the primary reason for his death. The judge in the case ultimately agreed, reversing the Board’s decision.
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