Hyun Jung Grant was a single mother of 2 boys. She worked nearly every day at an Atlanta massage parlor to support them. March 16, 2021 was another typical work day for Grant, until it drastically changed.
Grant’s 22-year-old son, Randy Park, was at home when he received word that there had been a shooting at his mother’s place of work. Terrified, Park went to the scene and then to the police station to find out what happened. He received the worst possible news: his mother had been killed.
Grant (51) was 1 of 8 people killed by a gunman at 3 Atlanta-area massage parlors. The other victims include Soon C. Park (74), Suncha Kim (69), Yong A. Yue (63), Delaina Ashley Yaun (33), Paul Andre Michels (54), Daoyou Feng (44), and Xiaojie Tan (49), who was the owner of one of the massage businesses.
Next door to one of the affected businesses, Young’s Asian Massage, is a boutique store owned by Rita Barron. Barron and her husband Alejandro Acosta were inside their boutique when they heard the gunshots and called 911. They watched as people were brought outside by police, some wounded, some unhurt but distraught by what they’d witnessed.
“As you can imagine, he’s totally destroyed, without strength, doesn’t want to talk with anybody,” said Acosta, speaking of a widower of one of the victims.
Delaina Yaun’s mother was overcome when speaking with WAGA-TV. She said, “They’re innocent. They did nothing wrong. I just don’t understand why he took my daughter.”
Police charged 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long with 8 counts of murder, the deadlist mass shooting in the U.S. since 2019.
Gerber & Holder Law offers our deepest condolences with the families who have been forever affected by these tragic events.
Violent crime in the workplace
For other employees who were injured during the course of these shootings, some may be wondering what rights they have. In other words:
Can you receive workers’ compensation for an injury that occurs due to violence at work?
There are 2 main qualifiers that must be met for workplace violence to be covered under Georgia’s workers’ compensation statute.
First, the injuries resulting from the assault must have occurred in the “scope and course of employment.” This is the same for all workers’ compensation claims, but there is a slight difference here. If a personal dispute spills over into workplace violence, it may not be covered. For instance, if an ex-girlfriend approaches an individual who is working and attacks them on the job, it will probably not be covered because the incident didn’t arise out of the employment; rather, it was personal in nature.
The second issue is that the injured worker must not have been the aggressor in the incident. If an individual attempts to harm a coworker by attacking them, then they are not allowed to recover under the state’s workers’ compensation statute. The aggressor isn’t necessarily the one who attacks first. The individual who caused the incident is deemed to be the aggressor. If one person uses “fighting words” against their co-worker, they might be determined to be the aggressor.
It’s vital that you understand your state’s unique rules and what benefits your family is entitled to receive.
Death benefits for workers killed on the job
What about for the families of the fallen? What rights for compensation do they have as they’re trying to cope with the death of their loved ones?
The answer to this question is quite complicated and has many different facets. However, one thing should be made clear at the outset:
Georgia’s workers’ compensation statute generally does provide coverage for surviving dependents when an individual dies as a result of a work-related injury.
Examples of benefits provided to survivors include lost wages (including future losses) and funeral expenses.
There are various avenues for recovery for the family of the deceased worker. For specific questions about the possibility of a workers’ compensation case, contact our experienced Atlanta work injury attorneys today. Your first consultation is free.
