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Loveland employee death
- Thread starter David
- Start date
Well that sucks..
All bad. Lots of moving parts at a ski area, everybody pay attention.
Condolences to family friends and coworkers.
Condolences to family friends and coworkers.
Awful news. Very sad. Agree, you need to pay careful attention this time of year, and even more so in a lean snow year.
Sad stuff.
Sad stuff.
Thread Starter
TS
What speculation?
Here's an update from local Denver news....
http://www.9news.com/news/local/employee-dies-while-working-at-loveland-ski-area/503120146
http://www.9news.com/news/local/employee-dies-while-working-at-loveland-ski-area/503120146
I heard about this yesterday as it was unfolding but the details posted from 9News are the first I have heard. Very tragic.
A friend is the landlord for the family that includes the employee. The widow has children and my friend has created a fund and has arranged matching donations. https://www.youcaring.com/erikamackey-1054724
A friend is the landlord for the family that includes the employee. The widow has children and my friend has created a fund and has arranged matching donations. https://www.youcaring.com/erikamackey-1054724
From my friends FB post:
Today has been a stomach twister for me. Yesterday I lost a friend and renter to an accident at loveland, and have been trying to do all I can to help them today.
Today, one of our community members here, who I met on OMJ stepped up more than I could have ever hoped for to help someone he didn't even know. Between him, a few others who are also on here, and me matching what is being donated, we've already got 2+ months where his wife and kids are taken care of for rent.
We have great people here, we might troll and act like punks on here, but we step up when it matters.
If you have a buck you could spare, these are great people, and everything helps.
Today, one of our community members here, who I met on OMJ stepped up more than I could have ever hoped for to help someone he didn't even know. Between him, a few others who are also on here, and me matching what is being donated, we've already got 2+ months where his wife and kids are taken care of for rent.
We have great people here, we might troll and act like punks on here, but we step up when it matters.
If you have a buck you could spare, these are great people, and everything helps.
Talked to a former patroller who had a call from a maintenance guy who got his arm stuck in a magic carpet some years ago. Luckily the victim was able to reach his radio, but it remains one of the more um haunting experiences from everyone who heard the radio, much less the ones on scene. Shudder. And donation made.
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Sounds like a failure of the lockout-tagout system. (The maintenance worker should lock the system to prevent anyone else from activating it until he is free and clear of the lift). Somehow it appears that someone else was able to override his lockout and start the lift while he was still working on it. (Or he failed to adequately lock out before performing maintenance).
Since he had high levels THC in his system, family benefits are cut in half.
"His family is now being denied 50% of his workers’ compensation benefits because marijuana was found in his system.
Marijuana use is legal in Colorado, but a Colorado law exists that allows workers’ comp companies to cut benefits by 50-percent if toxicology tests prove positive for marijuana or any other controlled substance."
https://snowbrains.com/due-marijuan...employee-died-jobs-family-refused-benefits-2/
"His family is now being denied 50% of his workers’ compensation benefits because marijuana was found in his system.
Marijuana use is legal in Colorado, but a Colorado law exists that allows workers’ comp companies to cut benefits by 50-percent if toxicology tests prove positive for marijuana or any other controlled substance."
https://snowbrains.com/due-marijuan...employee-died-jobs-family-refused-benefits-2/
Wow. The workers' comp reduction is terrible, especially since THC can be detected for a month after use. When the vote came up here in Oregon came up to legalize marijuana I was opposed, not for moral reasons but for logistical reasons such as this one. Since it is detectable for so long on drug tests and no good acute testing as there is with alcohol I thought it would create too many issues, one being employee drug testing as well as DUI issues. Very sad for this family. I hope Loveland does the right thing for this family.
I posted similar concerns on FB. It is truly unfortunate for the family.
Has an investigation reported why the lockout system apparently failed to prevent the tragedy?
I have really mixed feelings about this. On one hand I agree that the length of time that the drug stays in the system is a problem, I also feel like as an employee if I make a choice to consume drugs/alcohol I know I am risking certain things, including benefits in the case of an accident. In fact, employment law posters have the language warning of this possibility in large bold lettering. It would probably serve employers well to send a specific memo surrounding the risks of using even legal drugs (including alcohol) and their potential affect on benefits (although I'm not an attorney so not sure) to make sure employees are actively notified.
On the other hand, we don't really know when the last time he used was. Maybe it was on the way to work. Maybe it was last night, maybe it was a week ago. If he was no longer under the influence of the drug it is sad that his family takes the hit for it. Hopefully if there is a wrongful death suit they will be able to uncover the full details of the accident and recover enough funds to survive if Loveland was at fault hopefully Loveland implements a better safety program as a result.
On the other hand, we don't really know when the last time he used was. Maybe it was on the way to work. Maybe it was last night, maybe it was a week ago. If he was no longer under the influence of the drug it is sad that his family takes the hit for it. Hopefully if there is a wrongful death suit they will be able to uncover the full details of the accident and recover enough funds to survive if Loveland was at fault hopefully Loveland implements a better safety program as a result.
I won't disagree about the employee's choice especially when everyone that works and consumes knows that cannabis has a persistent footprint in your body. Cannabis is equivalent to liquor and in many ways better than liquor when it comes to the recreational enjoyment. We ought to be able to responsibly enjoy either on our own time and not have to be concerned about the (currently) negative consequence of it being detectable in our body for so much longer. Cannabis has a long way to go to enjoy equal status with alcohol. My POV could be shown to have no bearing if in fact he was intoxicated. I hope that the family is able to find some satisfaction in their pursuit of benefits.
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The article says he had high levels of THC in his blood, which begs the question, "How high?", and another question, "How high is high enough to be intoxicated on average?"
Exactly.
I don't think any of us are defending his possible use of cannabis on the job. Most of us wonder about the science that is being used to indict him and reduce his benefits. It is quite unfortunate that cannabis has been so marginalized over the decades. Researchers are finding benefits to THC and CBDs all the time. It is a shame that it took until well into the 21st century to recognize that a naturally occuring product has so many beneficial uses.