A three-judge panel in Pennsylvania has agreed with a widow who claimed her husband was worked to death, awarding her death benefits after he collapsed during his 14-hour shift working for a municipal water department.
Robert Dietz, 48, died of a heart attack while performing hard physical labor in 2007 for the Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority, a water department based in the historic Philadelphia suburb of Levittown, according to court papers.
It was not immediately known what he was doing during his final 14-hour shift, but he typically operated a jackhammer, repaired water main breaks and dug up tree roots during his 20 years on the job, court papers said.
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Dietz smoked a pack of cigarettes per day during his marriage, but Dr. Larry Wolk, a cardiac specialist whose sworn statement on behalf of the Dietz family was reviewed by the board, said what killed him was his long work day performing strenuous physical labor.