Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Indiana investigators are looking into a church fire that killed a Muncie, Indiana firefighter. 40-year old Scott Davis died while battling a blaze inside the Tabernacle of Praise Church in Muncie, Indiana on Wednesday. An Indiana state fire marshal says two other firefighters were hurt as well. These injuries and the fatality could bring up Worker's Compensation issues.

As for the investigation into what caused the deadly fire, Indiana media reports indicate the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Indiana state fire officials and Muncie city investigators are among the teams looking into it. The fire broke through the roof of the church's sanctuary, and many parts of the roof collapsed. A short time after the roof collapsed, Davis reportedly was nowhere to be found.

Davis is a former fire chief in Yorktown, Indiana which is in Delaware County. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

As for the potential Work Comp issues mentioned above, we need to look into Indiana's specific laws. Worker's Compensation is the body of laws that pertains to an injury a worker suffers while on the job. It varies from state to state. Additionally, some jobs like firefighting have inherent risks so they are excluded or have a different form of Workers' Compensation than the state standard. For example, Indiana's Worker's Compensation Act states that it does not apply to members of municipal police or fire departments or members of a police or firefighter's pension fund. But, another Indiana law outside the Worker's Compensation Act applies and does provide care and benefits to police officers and firefighters hurt while on the job. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation also explains the benefits that the family of a fallen police officer or firefighters may receive.