posted on October 9, 2003 09:58:48 AM new
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - The mother of a man who killed three co-workers before shooting himself in a workplace rampage has asked the company to compensate her for her son's death because it occurred at work, the company said on Tuesday.
Modine Manufacturing Co. has turned down the request by Nina Tichelkamp-Russell, the mother of the 25-year-old gunman Jonathon Russell, company spokesman Mick Lucareli said. But the claim must still be reviewed by the state, he said.
Russell's mother filed a claim seeking death benefits under the workers' compensation system, which provides financial payments to injured workers or the families of workers killed on the job, Lucareli said.
Tichelkamp-Russell could not be reached for comment.
The company quickly approved the claims filed by the families of Russell's victims, but Modine has no intention of compensating the gunman's family, Lucareli said.
"This is probably an odd situation. It certainly caught us by surprise," he said.
Police said Russell brought a Glock semiautomatic handgun to work on the night shift at the plant near Jefferson City, Missouri on July 1. Police said Russell appeared to target certain colleagues as he walked from station to station spraying bullets.
A 44-year-old man and a 29-year-old man died on the plant floor, while a 42-year-old man died on the way to a hospital. Five others were taken to hospitals with injuries.
Russell shot and killed himself after an exchange of gunfire with police.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on October 9, 2003 10:10:20 AM new
I hope she holds her breath. Although I can see some liberal left wing politician taking up her cause & promote the idea she is entitled to the compensation.
The last hope of human liberty in this world rests on us. ~ Thomas Jefferson
posted on October 9, 2003 10:50:54 AM new
She may argue the work environment was so hostile it unbalanced him. Not a good arguement for going off the deep end but it just might be true. I've left a few jobs where being at work was worse than being in prison. Some people are unable to make themselves leave an unendurable job for some reason. The people at the post office for example may feel trapped there as it is hard to find equal work for anywhere near the same pay. The fact the expression going postal is in the language is not a random coincidence.
One woman described going to work at the post office to me as like going in to a college hazing every day. She had been in the Army before and said that was a breeze by comparison.
posted on October 9, 2003 03:11:49 PM newbut Modine has no intention of compensating the gunman's family, Lucareli said.
I'd hope they hold to that. As a mother of two grown men, I cannot believe the nerve this woman has. Her son kills his co-workers and she seeks compensation??? oh brother.
posted on October 9, 2003 05:22:25 PM new
Remember that big shoot-out a couple of years ago in Los Angeles? The one where some bank robbers armed with automatic weapons decided not to give up when surrounded by police, so they started a big gun battle. They ended up getting killed, of course. But the family of one of them is suing the city for megabucks for "letting their son die." Seems the cops should have faced a hail of bullets to drag their criminal offspring to saftey after he was hit instead of waiting until the battle was over to render aid... Mind boggling.
AFIC, if someone is hurt or killed while committing a crime, the blame rests on their shoulders, not the cops or anyone else. Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on October 9, 2003 05:42:52 PM new
Life insurance companies don't pay out for suicides so why should workers comp death benifits pay the mother of a 25 year old man.
Even if he died by negligence on the plant floor the mother of a 25 year old man would not be entitled to workers comp benefit claims only surviving dependent like wives and kids. If he died by accident she could sue on his behalf in civil court but still would not be entitled to her adult son's workers benefits.
posted on October 10, 2003 02:41:40 AM new
I couldn't agree more, bunni. if someone is hurt or killed while committing a crime, the blame rests on their shoulders. And especially when the criminal is the one who took his own life.
I sure don't understand why cases like these aren't laughed out of court as soon as they're filed.
