Widow who says her husband was worked to death is entitled to death benefits, court says
A Pennsylvania widow who claims her husband was worked to death is entitled to a death benefit, according to a Pennsylvania court.
Robert Dietz was 48 years old and finishing up a 14-hour shift when he died of a heart attack in November 2007, report Reuters, PennLive and Lancaster Online. The panel decision by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court reverses a decision by a workers’ compensation appeal board.
Dietz was a field maintenance worker for the Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority, a municipal water department. His job involved strenuous activity, including operating a jackhammer and repairing water mains. Dietz’s widow, Judith Dietz, testified that he often worked more than 40 hours a week and was always on call.
The water department had argued Dietz’s death was caused by pre-existing health problems. He had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day during his 13-year marriage.
The death benefit is 60 percent of pay plus $3,000 for burial expenses.
