News stories about members of the military being killed flood media outlets, and every one is a tragic loss. But sometimes the most painful stories tell us about military staff being killed in a fatal accident here in the U.S. An Air Force staff sergeant was recently killed in a freak accident at MacDill Air Force Base. She was 29 years old.
The woman was participating in routine work on the base, unpacking an airplane-refueling boom from a crate. A refueling boom is used to transfer fuel from one plane to another while in flight. The 2,400-pound boom fell on her in the uncrating process, killing her.
An investigation into the accident is underway; it is not yet clear how she happened to be underneath the boom when it fell or why it fell at all. When a loved one dies in an accident, an investigation is an important first step in determining if negligence was involved in the accident. It needs to be proven that there was a legal duty for one person to care for another and that he or she failed to meet that standard of care, causing an accident that resulted in injury or death.
If it is determined that negligence was involved, then surviving family members may have a case for a wrongful death lawsuit. When a family member is killed unexpectedly, especially a young person, the financial burden of sudden funeral expenses can be cumbersome. A wrongful death lawsuit can help a family recover the cost of medical and funeral bills.
If someone is at fault for the death of a loved one, then they should be held responsible for the damage an untimely death causes a family.
