People may be aware that they might be able to receive workers' compensation benefits when they are injured while working. Most employers throughout the state of Pennsylvania are required to purchase a workers' compensation insurance policy. The benefits are designed to help the injured employee cover the costs that arise while he or she is healing and unable to work. Even though this process exists outside of the legal court system, when someone runs into issues securing those benefits a workers' comp lawyer may be of assistance.

A lawyer could also provide help to people who are hurt or killed in a workplace accident that is the fault of a third party. To pursue this course of action a lawyer can help to file a complaint. Depending on the circumstances surrounding a claim it could go to trial, or in the alternative a settlement agreement could be reached. The latter recently occurred in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in the state of Pennsylvania.

The claim was filed by the family of a field service technician who was killed after the gas well he was working on caught fire. It is not clear what caused the fire that killed the 27-year-old. The Department of Environmental Protection investigated the matter and determined poor communication and a lack of oversight at the shale head gas well contributed to it. Regulators with the state point to an inexperienced worker being to blame.

The case recently settled. As a result the man's employer will pay his family a total of $5 million. Most of the money will be set aside for the man's child, who was born following his death.