§ 71 — Annuities to dependents of member of metropolitan police department killed while in performance of duties

Section 71. Subject to the requirement of election set forth in the last paragraph of section eighty-nine, if any permanent or call officer of said police department is killed or dies within one year from injuries received while in the performance of his duty as such officer and it shall be proved to the satisfaction of the commission that such death was the natural and proximate result of an accident occurring during the performance and within the scope of his duty as such officer and the attending physician or medical examiner shall certify to the state treasurer that the death was the direct result of the said injury, there shall be paid to the following dependents of such deceased officer the following annuities: To the widow, so long as she remains unmarried, an annuity not exceeding one thousand dollars a year, increased by not exceeding two hundred dollars for each child of such deceased person during such time as such child is under the age of eighteen or over said age and physically or mentally incapacitated from earning; and, if there is any such child and no widow or the widow later dies, such an annuity as would have been payable to the widow had there been one or had she lived, to or for the benefit of such child, or of such children in equal shares, during the time aforesaid; and, if there is any such child and the widow remarries, in lieu of the aforesaid annuity to her, an annuity not exceeding two hundred and sixty dollars to or for the benefit of each such child during the time aforesaid; and, if there is no widow and no such child, an annuity not exceeding one thousand dollars to or for the benefit of the father or mother of the deceased if dependent upon him for support at the time of his death, during such time as such beneficiary is unable to support himself or herself and does not remarry. The total amount of all such annuities shall not exceed the annual rate of compensation received by such deceased officer at the date of his death, except that if he was a call officer, said total amount shall not exceed the annual rate of compensation payable to a permanent officer of said police department for the first year of service therein. The amount of any such annuity shall, from time to time, be determined within the limits aforesaid by the said commission. The provisions of this section as to pensions or annuities for disability or death resulting from injuries received in the performance of duty shall apply to officers assigned to duty under the colonel of state police as provided in section four of chapter one hundred and forty-seven.