A Pennsylvania garbage collector was killed at the beginning of his shift on Oct. 13. The fatal injury happened in Pittsburgh while the 29-year-old man sat in his parked vehicle in the area where refuse employees park while waiting for his coworkers to pick him up . At about 7 a.m., the man was shot to death by an assailant who has not yet been identified.
According to witnesses who live near the scene in Carrick, they heard six or seven shots fired before noticing the victim collapsed on the ground. One witness said that a woman and a child who were in the area hid behind a car when the shooting started. A white car was seen driving away at a high rate of speed, and investigators say they are trying to locate a four-door Nissan Altima that might have been involved in the incident. One or more individuals were also witnessed putting things into a paper bag.
According to a public safety spokeswoman, the deceased victim had been employed by the city of Pittsburgh since the beginning of 2013. Investigators have not yet determined if the victim was the intended target of the shooting or if the shots were meant for someone else.
Family members of someone who was killed on the job might choose to file a claim for workers’ compensation death benefits. Because workers’ compensation law can be confusing, many families in this situation choose to enlist the help of an attorney while building their claim. If the fatal incident was due to the actions of non-employer third parties, an attorney may also be able to help the family to file third-party claims for additional compensation.
Source: WPXI.com, “Authorities ID slain Pittsburgh garbage collector”, October 13, 2014