Monday, June 26, 2006

Workers Comp Insider On "The Lonely Death of Octavio Godinez"

Tragic story of a immigrant worker, working alone, who injured himself, tried to drive himself to the hospital, but didn't make it.
I wonder if Godinez knew exactly where the hospital was - he was from out of state (Indiana) and was visiting with his in-laws to earn some money for his wife and son. I wonder if he had any training in emergency first aid. I wonder what kind of medical supplies were available at the jobsite. I wonder why he decided to drive himself, as opposed to calling for an ambulance. Did he have any insurance or was he an "independent contractor," side by side with his father-in-law, another "independent contractor." What went through his mind as he tried to figure out what to do?
Update: Godinez's wife, writing in the comment below, notifies us that he was not an immigrant and that her father, for whom he was working, had workers comp insurance. My apologies for the mistake.