Slain Workers Girlfriend Wins Payout
Who can forget the tragic death of Ben Catanzariti last year? The young man was just 21 years old when a 39 metre concrete boom pump broke away from a truck and crushed the worker. Now the girlfriend of the young man has also received a substantial pay-out for her suffering in his death, despite the opposition of the victim’s family.
The incident which was investigated by police and WorkSafe ACT also sparked national calls for more safety on construction sites particularly where young workers are concerned.
The girlfriend of Ben Catanzariti, Kahlia Boyd, last year won a $150,000 pay out over his death on the Kingston construction site.
Boyd applied to the ACT Magistrates Court for a lump sum worker’s compensation payment from the victim’s employer, Belconnen Concrete because dependents of workers killed on the job are entitled to this payout. However the family of Ben gave evidence in court that Ms Boyd was not Ben’s domestic partner and so was not entitled to the pay-out.
This post from CanberraTimes.com.au explains:
Ms Boyd told the court she met Mr Catanzariti in August 2011 and the pair began a sexual relationship in November the same year.She claimed the couple began to live together at his Queanbeyan flat by early 2012.
Ms Boyd said Ben Catanzariti had paid all the rent and she contributed towards groceries and utility bills.She also did the domestic duties, including vacuuming, cleaning and laundry.
Ms Boyd relied on a number of text messages from the deceased to prove her claim, including one in response to Ms Boyd asking if her friend could visit.
Mr Catanzariti had replied: “yes that’s okay it’s your house to [sic]”.
Ms Boyd gave evidence the pair had discussed marriage, children and buying a house, a fact corroborated by her stepfather.
Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/girlfriend-wins-150000-payout-after-construction-death-20130918-2tzjb.html#ixzz2fh7ks8bn
The bizarre thing is that the victim’s family, the property’s landlord as well as Ben’s friends said that they had never seen the woman’s belongings at the flat. The judge did not agree and ruled that the woman was entitled to the payment.
The inquest into Mr Catanzariti’s death is due to be heard in the ACT Coroners Court next month.
Although the loss of even one life is too many, let’s hope that employers and workers in the construction industry learn from the accident which claimed Ben Catanzariti’s life.
Ultimately the first step in ensuring a safe site is ensuring that every person working on site, regardless of the job they are doing has completed general safety induction training. White Card training is the nationally recognised qualification which grants workers access onto a construction site anywhere in Oz.
One of the most important aspects of construction site safety is safety training. Without the appropriate safety training, workers will not be competent enough to handle the many hazards and dangers present on a construction site and may cause injury to themselves or others.
