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News & ArtsFriday, July 13, 2012
Horrors / Money How Much Are Your Legs Worth?
Posted by Goldy on Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 3:58 PM
The department of Labor & Industries has fined the Boeing Company $3,600 for a February accident where a worker lost his legs after he was trapped underneath the tires of a 787 jetliner.
Yet another example of overzealous government regulators creating an unfriendly business environment.
1
That is crazy. I worked with someone twenty years ago who lost her fingernail (not the whole finger - just the nail and nail-bed) in a farm combine and L&I gave her $9700 for it.
2
Back when I was a marathon runner, my legs were worth a lot more than they are now.
Should have paid him in Chinese yuan.
Should have paid him in Chinese yuan.
3
There's an easy answer to this. Create an online bidding system to pay people for their legs. Then amputate that other person's legs and attach them to the worker. Everyone's happy.
5
Doesn't Boeing self-insure? This was the L&I fine against Boeing. Since there was negligence on Boeing's part, I'd hope there would be a much larger settlement for the worker.
6
@4
From the excerpt, I don't think this is his restitution at all; it's the piddly fine Boeing pays for poor working conditions. HIs insurance and/or Boeing will pay him something else that won't be enough, whatever it is.
From the excerpt, I don't think this is his restitution at all; it's the piddly fine Boeing pays for poor working conditions. HIs insurance and/or Boeing will pay him something else that won't be enough, whatever it is.
7
This WASN'T the compensation given to the worker. This was the fine that charged to Boeing. Totally different.
8
And of course, if the Right had it's way, L&I would have been privatized by now, and this poor worker would have been lucky to get chump-change for the loss of two legs.
10
That's ok, he'll probably hit it big in the shrimping industry when a hurricane wipes out the competitors and then invest in an upstart computer company and strike it rich. Then he can buy himself some magic legs.
11
Oh, for chrissakes. This is not the man's restitution or medical coverage. That's what Boeing pays millions of dollars into L&I for. It is still a tragedy, of course, but his medical bills are paid and he will receive compensation.
12
Well, Goldy *was* on a streak of actual journalism and strong reasoning. This is just dishonesty masquerading as snark. Maybe McKenna was right after all.
13
@12 - How was this dishonest? Seemed like straight reporting to me. He didn't say that this was the employee's only compensation; he was reporting on the piddly nature of the government fine for what would seem to be a major screwup.
14
That is the fine for having an unsafe workplace in violation of WISHA. Based on the dollar amount, they were probably given one serious citation. of course, Boeing can and will appeal this. Boeing is a self-insured employer, so does not pay insurance premiums to L&I.
16
This should be enough to cover the Affordable Health Care he'll be forced to buy from a Health Exchange.
For a year at least...
For a year at least...
17
This number is out of context without also looking at how much Boeing paid this worker. It also makes your headline dishonest.
18
Funny @17, I never realized part of my salary package was intended to cover the potential loss of limbs...
19
@18 not salary package, but other compensation paid out to the man after the accident. "How much a man's legs are worth" should in an honest presentation (critical or not) include that amount.
20
@1, You're confusing L&I coverage - money paid by the State Department of Labor and Industries to workers in lieu of lost wages during recouperation - to an L&I FINE against an employer. In this case, the fine was for inappropriate operation of a towing vehicle. That is SEPARATE from any award that either L&I or Boeing may have awarded (or may be yet to award) the man who lost his legs, not to mention AD&D insurance he may have (hopefully had). Sorry, Goldy. This is just shitty journalism on your part.
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