The questions and answers in a 911 tell much of the story of two badly injured Ohio construction workers. Someone has called in to report a fire and the operator asks, "And what is on fire?" The caller responds succinctly: "A man." "An actual person?" the operator asks. "Yes," is the reply.

The Sharonville construction accident was described by witnesses and a loud noise followed by a ball of fire. Officials said two men in a cherry-picker were using a power washer to strip paint off of a pole when they touched an overhead power line. The men were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to a news report.

One witness said "a pretty big ball of fire" traveled down the pole. He ran out of an office and saw the two men still in the bucket. He called 911.

According to a news report, another caller said one of the men was on the floor of the bucket and though he was moving a little, "he's burnt up really good."

As we've noted before in our Pennsylvania and Ohio blog, one of the greatest dangers construction workers face is from electricity. Overhead power lines can send burning — even fatal — jolts of electricity through a worker's body in an instant.

In many similar situations, a workers' compensation insurer will recognize that a claim for benefits is clearly legitimate and immediately begin covering medical bills and paying a portion of lost wages. In other circumstances, however, full benefits will be denied and sometimes benefits will be denied entirely.

Those are situations calling for a skilled workers' compensation attorney who knows both Ohio and Pennsylvania law and has a track record of protecting clients' rights.