LANSING, Mich. — City officials approved death benefits for the family of a firefighter who died after being struck by a pickup truck while collecting donations for charity.
The Lansing State Journal reported that the Lansing Police and Fire Board approved the language in a new ordinance to ensure unborn children are eligible to receive benefits. The board also approved designating firefighter Dennis Rodeman’s death as in the line of duty.
Rodeman was killed Sept. 9 after he was intentionally struck by a driver while collecting donations for a boot drive. The driver, 23-year-old Grant Taylor, is facing murder charges and has a history of mental illness.
Rodeman’s widow, Katherine, will receive the accumulation of his contributions to the retirement fund and for the rest of her life payments equal to a third of his final compensation, according to the report.
The couple’s unborn child will receive payments equal to a quarter of his final compensation, which would stop when the child gets married or turns 21.
The previous city code didn’t distinguish between children and unborn children.