Widow Of Deceased Roofer Says Texas Worker Injury Law Must Change

Victoria Hurtado is $45,000 in debt from medical bills and funeral costs and mourning the loss of her husband. Hurdtado believes that her husband’s death was caused directly by his employer’s negligence, but a loophole in Texas worker injury law won’t allow her to find justice or get her bills paid.

In 2004, Victoria and her husband Angel began working for Guadalupe Roofing as contractors based on a verbal agreement. When working on a structure in West Austin, Angel fell from the building and died in his wife’s arms. She said that they had never been given safety equipment or safety training.

In the days after the on-the-job accident, Victoria discovered that the roofing company did not carry workers’ compensation, and a state law on the books protects general contractors from lawsuits if they aren’t present at the scene of a worker accident. Since the couple was not supervised at the time of the fall, the chances of being able to successfully sue the roofing company for compensation were very low. Now, the statute of limitations for suing the roofing company has passed, and Hurdtado remains in debt and without her husband.

Workers’ compensation law and worker injury law in Texas can be complicated, frustrating, and, in some cases, just plain unfair. If you or a loved on have been injured in an on-the-job accident and your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance, it is vital that you speak with an experienced Houston worker accident attorney.