People from all over the State of South Carolina came to Columbia to honor fallen Richland County firefighter Chance Zobel, age 23. Zobel was killed in the line of duty after he was struck by a car while putting out a grass fire on I-20 near Clemson Road on Saturday. The driver of the vehicle causing the incident, Neida Ortega, was charged with driving too fast for conditions and driving without a license. Ortega, a native of Mexico, had a Mexican driver’s license, but no South Carolina license. She admitted to authorities that she was in … [Read more...]
Workers Rescued From Inside 160-Foot-Tall Water Tower
October 18, 2010 by
Two Florida utility workers, contractors with Utility Services Corp., were rescued last week after they became trapped in an empty water tower. CNN reports that the workers were performing maintenance on the water tower when their scaffolding failed and they plunged 30 feet to the bottom of the tower. It took fire rescuers almost five hours to lower the injured men 160 feet and transport them to the hospital. The workers' supervisor notified emergency personnel of the incident after he received a call from one of the workers. The workers … [Read more...]
Oil Rig Explosion Leaves US Coast Guard Searching for 12 Workers
April 21, 2010 by
A team of US Coast Guard helicopters, ships, and cutters are desparately searching for 12 workers who are still unaccounted for after an oil rig explosion occurred at an oil drilling platform located off of Louisiana's coast in the Gulf of Mexico around 10:00 PM last night. The oil rig, named Deepwater Horizon, is located 50 miles southeast of Venice. The fire from the explosion continues to burn and Coast Guard officials do not have an estimate as to when the fire will be completely extinguished. US Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty … [Read more...]
Travis the Chimp Precluded Workers Comp Recovery
March 29, 2010 by
It has been over a year since Travis, the 200-pound chimpanzee, went berserk, mauled Charla Nash and left her for dead. As you may remember, the chain of events started after Travis' owner simply asked Ms. Nash to help lure the chimp back into her house. While she survived, it is an absolutely understatement to say that Ms. Nash's life will never be the same. Frank Chiafari, the police officer who shot the chimpanzee after it tried to get into his patrol car, was forced to suffer as well. Despite suffering from post-traumatic … [Read more...]
Tragic Plane Accident Kills Jogger on Business Trip
March 17, 2010 by
According to WIS, the life of GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical salesman, Robert Gary Jones, was tragically taken earlier this week when he was hit by a plane making an emergency landing on Hilton Head Island. Mr. Jones, who was jogging and listening to his iPod, likely never saw or heard it before the aircraft hit him from behind. "There's no noise," said aviation expert Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the National Transportation Safety Board. "So the jogger, with his ear buds in, and the plane without an engine, you're … [Read more...]
Workers Compensation Coverage Expands For SC Firefighters And Law Enforcement
February 23, 2010 by
On February 25, 2010, a South Carolina law providing additional worker's compensation coverage for firefighters and law enforcement became law. Enhanced Coverage for Firefighters When signed into law, it will automatically presume that if a firefighter suffers from certain heart and respiratory conditions such as heart disease or respiratory disease resulting in total or partial disability or death, the injury will be covered under workers compensation provided that it arose or occurred during the course of employment and: the claimant … [Read more...]
