A Cayuga County Highway Department worker has filed paperwork to sue the county for a work-related injury he says has left him unable to work since June.
James Emery, of Union Springs, a 46-year employee of the highway department, is seeking compensation for injuries he sustained to his tailbone, head and elbow while loading machinery at the highway department, according to a claim filed with the county.
Emery was helping to load a dump truck onto a trailer when he fell at least 7 feet from the dump truck, where he had been working to cover an exhaust pipe, and hit his tailbone, head and elbow on the pavement, according to his employee claim form.
He has been out of work since the accident occurred June 22.
“Like any employee hurt on the job, he's eligible for workers' comp benefits,” which include medical payments and lost wages, Cayuga County Manager Wayne Allen said.
Allen said he was not familiar enough with Emery's case to comment on it specifically. County attorney Fred Westphal could not be reached for comment.
Emery filed paperwork through his lawyer, Edward E. Kopko, of Ithaca-based Wiggins & Kopko, LLP, Aug. 7. The claim did not say how much money Emery would seek from the county.
According to the claim, Emery's hardships include permanent injuries, “pain and suffering, both mental and physical.” Details regarding the severity and nature of Emery's injuries were not clear in the report.
Neither Emery nor Kopko returned calls seeking comment.
In addition to seeking compensation for lost wages and medical bills, the claim accuses the county of noncompliance with labor laws that insure worker safety, which in Emery's case would have been a ladder, scaffolding or other devices that would have provided secure footing while he climbed.
Highway Superintendent George Wethey did not return a call for comment.
The county must be more cognizant of problems with workers' compensation and benefits programs, as well as work environments, said George Farenthold, president of the Cayuga County Labor Council.
“We don't take care of our workers,” Farenthold said. “It's time we did a better job, whether maintaining equipment people work with every day or coming into the 21st century in terms of workers benefits.”
Staff writer Sarah Gantz can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or sarah.gantz@lee.net
Emery was helping to load a dump truck onto a trailer when he fell at least 7 feet from the dump truck, where he had been working to cover an exhaust pipe, and hit his tailbone, head and elbow on the pavement, according to his employee claim form.
He has been out of work since the accident occurred June 22.
“Like any employee hurt on the job, he's eligible for workers' comp benefits,” which include medical payments and lost wages, Cayuga County Manager Wayne Allen said.
Allen said he was not familiar enough with Emery's case to comment on it specifically. County attorney Fred Westphal could not be reached for comment.
Emery filed paperwork through his lawyer, Edward E. Kopko, of Ithaca-based Wiggins & Kopko, LLP, Aug. 7. The claim did not say how much money Emery would seek from the county.
According to the claim, Emery's hardships include permanent injuries, “pain and suffering, both mental and physical.” Details regarding the severity and nature of Emery's injuries were not clear in the report.
Neither Emery nor Kopko returned calls seeking comment.
In addition to seeking compensation for lost wages and medical bills, the claim accuses the county of noncompliance with labor laws that insure worker safety, which in Emery's case would have been a ladder, scaffolding or other devices that would have provided secure footing while he climbed.
Highway Superintendent George Wethey did not return a call for comment.
The county must be more cognizant of problems with workers' compensation and benefits programs, as well as work environments, said George Farenthold, president of the Cayuga County Labor Council.
“We don't take care of our workers,” Farenthold said. “It's time we did a better job, whether maintaining equipment people work with every day or coming into the 21st century in terms of workers benefits.”
Staff writer Sarah Gantz can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or sarah.gantz@lee.net
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