Samuel Macasieb operating a letter sorting machine at the United States Postal Service processing and distribution center in Oakland, CA.
Attorney George P. Surmaitis seeks compensation for the widow of postal worker, Samuel Macasieb, who died inside a USPS processing and distribution center after sustaining a head injury.
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 27, 2015 – Workers’ Compensation attorney, George P. Surmaitis, with A Professional Law Corporation, recently attended a hearing for a U.S. postal worker’s widow in a highly controversial case regarding the death of postal worker Samuel Macasieb, who died inside the west Oakland processing and distribution center, one of the largest and busiest postal service facilities in California. According to the court documents, it is alleged that Macasieb suffered apparent head trauma that left him incapacitated; however, due to USPS policy, no one called 911 immediately. In the event of a medical emergency, a USPS employee is required to first find a supervisor, who then must contact postal police and ask them to call 911.
“Only the postal police are able to initiate the 911 procedure, and employees were not allowed to call 911 and policy wouldn’t allow police or medical professionals into the facility,” said Surmaitis, who is co-counsel with Cory A. Birnberg of Birnberg & Associates, representing the widow of Samuel Macasieb.
Following the incident, according to the court documents, the government denied federal benefits to Samuel’s widow, claiming it was not work-related, which Surmaitis is trying to rectify. Samuel worked for the USPS for 28 years, working the graveyard shift operating a letter-sorting machine. The recent hearing took place before a Hearing Representative of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) of the U.S. Department of Labor (Case No. 132315562).
“This type of hearing is informal, but the stakes are high for the family of Mr. Macasieb,” said Surmaitis. “The hearing office has allowed us a window of time to submit additional evidence and we hope that upon receipt of that evidence that we will be able to obtain a favorable outcome for Samuel’s widow.”
USPS 911 Policy may have caused critical delays in death of Oakland Postal Worker
I told both of my sons that if something happens & I die at work to GET A LAWYER
stories like this make me happy of my decision to spend all my OT and driving 10 year old cars the last 29 years so my two sons could go to law and veterinary school. I would not wish this crummy job on my worst enemy. leave it to the US Postal Circus to keep screwing a dead person, and yes the OWPC has the case because the PO did not do the right thing and take care of his wife. po mismanagers, uneducated, low IQ, lower working class peon scum who think they are something because some little flunky bureaucrat tells them they are on same level of a real manager who works for a Fortune 500 company. I would like to see UPS and FDX absorb this dump.1 st class letter mail is all but gone, parcels are the future.
I can’t wait to retire!
Try delivery mail in Houston, Texas ….yall have no clue ……wheres our a/c? They dont care!
So wrong of them and sad
When I die I want to be stuffed in the ceiling over managements offices. That may improve the smell a little.
In this case the supervisors and authorities involved should be brought up on involuntary manslaughter charges. In this case the supervisors and authorities involved should be brought up on involuntary manslaughter charges .
I’m the King who dictates what goes on in SD plant. Am I always right? You better believe it.
Unbelievable this is the same incidents that occurred in the San Diego plant a lack of a quick response by a medical emergency team this happen more then once
I give Mr. Surmataitis thumbs up for being able to keep his remarks civil in an obviously cheap shot at a widow by the USPS. Watch out for Grand Juries or Bounty Hunters and maybe even the “Supreme” Court as their talons haven’t been clipped !
You must be a manager.
This was a reply to STEVE
Your headline is misleading. The Postal Service can neither approve nor deny Workmans’ Compensation claims. The Department of Labor has sole discretion in this matter. The headline should read “DOL denies OWCP benefits to widow of Oakland postal worker who died after delayed 911 call” Please make this correction.
Retired from that place, I never would have followed procedure, as my co-workers came before idiot rules on paper.
At a retirement party, as an example, a co-worker had a seizure during the lunch. I opened his mouth and got all the food out, and had someone help me hold his head still. Management at this party froze, due to the brainwashing they had received. I demanded Postmaster to call 911,sat with co-worker until EMT arrived. Had we waited he would have died. He had a stroke, and we stopped him from getting worse or slamming head on floor. He came back, months later and retired asking me to attend ceremony in office. He hugged me so tight and thanked me. I felt so good he was alive.
probably hit him off clock before 911 call. management scum!!!!!!
What do you expect from the Postal Service? The Postal Service let the Poor man just lay on the floor for a long time before they could think what to do. Then they deny The widow compensation. She will just receive a letter of removal. It’s always the employees fault! Some one in management will receive a bonus!
you are 100% right, mgmt. always deny benefit to us but never deny bonus to them.
What the ?!? He was fatally injured on the job – how could it not be work related? Management refused to allow coworkers to call 9-11 and while I place the lion’s share of the culpability on management for this horrible tragedy, if I had been there, I would have called 9-11, f.. the management. I have very close friends in my office and damned if I would let them go without help, regardless of what a supervisor or manager told me. Those who could have called 9-11 and didn’t have the guts to do it are chicken who also have to take some of the blame for this death.
Who outside the USPS knows what happened here? Maybe local media, but people need to know what postal management is capable of. “Not work related.” What bull hand pure evil that decision is. I hope his widow can successfully sue the living sh.. out of the Postal Service. This is absolutely inexcusable, and every postal employee involved in denying the OWCP claim should be removed immediately, as high as the level goes.