It has been over a year since Russell Tracy accidentally died on a construction site. Fire crews said he was working on sandblasting a pipe when he fell into a manhole and died on impact after a twenty-foot drop.
"That's the worst part about this, is that the family has to get dragged into this every time we have a hearing. Every time we have something come up in the case, it's just a constant reminder," Meredith Tracy's lawyer, Thomas Askeroth said.
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While grieving the loss of her husband, Meredith has been in the middle of a legal battle. Her lawyer says OHSA ruled the manhole was not properly secured, so they were shocked to learn her workers' compensation claim was denied.
"You can understand how Meredith and her children have suffered financially. They've had to rely on friends, family to get through this tough time." Askeroth said.
Now, Meredith is in the middle of the appeal process, which could take years to resolve. In the meantime, it's been months of phone calls, hearings, and court dates. The time her family has been spending healing, constantly burdened by this ongoing battle.
We did reach out to the opposing lawyer, to try and get some more information about why the works comp claim was denied, but have not heard back.
