Whether we want to think about it or not, death is a part of life. It is likely that most Butler County residents hope for a long life and a peaceful natural death. Unfortunately, as regular readers of this blog are aware, this does not always happen. People's lives come to an end too early, all too often throughout the state of Pennsylvania. There are many ways in which this happens, and while in many situations automobiles are involved, in some instances the deaths are work related.

Overall there is good news on this front in the western portion of the state of Pennsylvania. Recently, numbers regarding the number of deaths occurring at work in the Pittsburgh area were released for the year 2011. Provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the numbers indicate a decrease of close to 30 percent. The number is down 12, to 29, as compared to 2010. The statistics take into account all workplace deaths including accidents and homicides.

The workplace fatality of a loved one can leave those left behind unsure of how to proceed with their lives. This is particularly true if the individual who unexpectedly died was the main breadwinner, depended upon for financial support. Because workplaces throughout the Pittsburgh area must take steps to keep their workers safe, when negligence on the part of an employer leads to the death of a worker it is possible that a wrongful death lawsuit will be filled against it by family members of the deceased.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Workplace deaths fall in Pittsburgh region," Ann Belser, March 3, 2013

• Deaths resulting from the negligence of others are often difficult to come to terms with. Our firm provides counsel in these types of matters. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pittsburgh wrongful death page.