CRANE ACCIDENTS

CHICAGO LEGAL COUNSEL FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

Construction sites are known to be dangerous places. One of the hazards you might face as a construction worker are crane accidents. Massive construction equipment, like cranes, is used for work on tall buildings and skyscrapers. Unfortunately, in order to secure bids, construction companies may cut corners. Worker safety should never be compromised, but unfortunately, it sometimes is. If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a crane accident, you should discuss your situation with the experienced Chicago construction accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. Our AV-rated firm has sixty years of experience from which to draw when fighting for your rights as an accident victim. We understand how to pursue relief in a workers’ compensation or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim as appropriate, too.

CRANE ACCIDENTS

Cranes are used for a significant amount of heavy lifting at Chicago construction sites. They allow construction workers to move large loads more quickly and typically speed up construction work. However, as complicated pieces of machinery, cranes can also be extremely dangerous. Crane accidents can result in blunt force trauma from crane jibs or booms; crushing injuries due to crane collapse; broken bones or traumatic brain injuries due to falls from crane loads; and electrocution due to contact with an overhead power line.

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a crane accident that was not caused by your employer, you may have grounds to sue for damages in court. Parties that may be held accountable for their negligence, assuming you do not have an employer relationship with them, include other contractors and subcontractors, crane operators, the crane manufacturer and distributor, the property owner, or the government.

Many crane accidents are the result of negligence. In order to establish your right to damages in a lawsuit alleging negligence, our attorneys will need to prove: (1) you were owed a duty to use reasonable care, (2) breach of the duty to use reasonable care, (3) causation, and (4) damages.

After the crane accident, we may have a limited time within which to sue for damages. We may only have 2 years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit or your case may be denied. When your lawsuit is against a city or state government, the time frame may be even more constricted because we will need to provide notice of your claim against the government in a tiny window of time.

DAMAGES

The amount and nature of damages our lawyers can recover depends on the extent of your injuries; in most cases, injuries related to crane accidents are catastrophic. For instance, if stones fall from a load held aloft by fifteen feet feet and as a result you suffer a traumatic brain injury, you may no longer be able to work and you will likely require medical care and rehabilitation, for which you may not have saved. You should be able to obtain these economic damages in a construction accident lawsuit. Additionally, you may be able to obtain noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment and mental anguish.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

In addition to securing damages by establishing another party’s fault, it may be appropriate for us to seek benefits through a workers’ compensation claim. Benefits are no-fault, meaning our Chicago lawyers could pursue benefits on your behalf through your employer’s insurer regardless of whether your employer’s negligence or another party’s negligence caused the crane accident. Likewise, your employer would not be able to get your benefits reduced as a result of a crane accident by arguing you were comparatively negligent or otherwise at fault as it might in a third-party lawsuit. Workers’ compensation benefits to which you may be entitled include medical benefits, temporary or permanent disability benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and out-of-pocket costs.

RETAIN DEDICATED LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR YOUR CLAIM

Our Chicago construction accident attorneys represent clients in lawsuits arising out of crane accidents in Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, and Aurora, along with Cook, Kane, Sangamon, Winnebago, and Adams Counties. When reviewing the facts of your situation, we will also look at whether it is appropriate to pursue relief via a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim or workers’ compensation claim. Please call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.