S. L. W. v. Alaska Workmen's Compensation Board

CONNOR, Justice.

The question presented is whether an illegitimate posthumous child can recover workmen’s compensation death benefits. What makes the case unusual is that the father had no actual knowledge of the pregnancy. He was killed before being informed.

The deceased, a 29-year-old ironworker, was killed on March 28, 1967, while working on a construction project on the Nen-ana River. On August 10, 1967, a woman 19 years of age gave birth to a male child. She named him S.L.W. after the deceased. A claim for death benefits was filed on behalf of the child about 18 months later. The reason…