Crane Accident Attorneys

Construction sites are inherently dangerous. One of the hazards you might face as a construction worker are crane accidents. Massive construction equipment, like a crane, is used for work on tall buildings, skyscrapers, or to lift heavy loads on any work site. Those in charge of construction sites are required to follow numerous regulations, including OSHA standards, to protect their workers. Unfortunately, safety is not always prioritized, and devastating crane accidents can occur. Most construction workers are financially and emotionally unprepared for the consequences of a catastrophic injury. If you were injured or a loved one was killed onsite, you should contact the seasoned crane accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca.

Causes of Crane Accidents

Cranes are used for a significant amount of heavy lifting. Common causes of crane accidents include contact between the crane and a power line, use of a crane outside a manufacturer’s specifications, improper crane setup resulting in collapse, failure to follow safety standards, overloaded cranes, and choosing an improper kind of crane to do the job. When a crane is overloaded and its stabilizing outriggers aren’t set up correctly, the crane may overturn, and if the crane load is dropped in the wrong spot, it can severely harm workers below.

Construction workers are expected to stay alert to the possibility of hazards but sometimes they there are no warning signs, and they get injured. Possible injuries from a crane accident are serious and include electrocution, head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, broken bones, lacerations, back injuries, and paralysis. When injuries are inflicted in an accident, an injured construction worker may be able to recover damages, not from their own employer, but from another subcontractor to whom they don’t have an employee relationship. Parties that may be culpable in a crane accident include contractors, crane operators, equipment manufacturers, subcontractors, suppliers.

In order to recover damages on your behalf, our construction accident attorneys will likely need to show negligence, inadequate training, or improper maintenance of the crane. 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 of injuries
4. actual damages

It’s important to retain an attorney who can fully investigate the causes of the crane accident. The language of construction contracts signed by the various parties on a construction site can also have implications for an injured person’s ability to recover. In addition to pursuing damages under a theory of negligence, it may be appropriate for a visitor to the site to pursue a premises liability or product liability lawsuit for damages.

Injuries Caused by Crane Accidents

Cranes are used for a significant amount of heavy lifting at construction sites in Chicago and throughout Illinois. Cranes 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. Here are examples of injuries caused by crane accidents:

• Blunt force trauma from crane jibs or boom
• Crushing injuries due to crane collapse
• Broken bones due to falling materials
• Traumatic brain injuries due to falls from crane loads, crane toppled over on workers
• Electrocution due to contact with an overhead power line
• Death from falling from the tower, crane loads moving or falling, crane toppling over

Damages From A Crane Accident & Injury

When our lawyers are able to establish liability, we may be able to recover both economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are tangible losses, often documented, and include medical expenses, out-of-pocket costs, replacement services, and lost wages. Noneconomic damages are intended to quantify losses that are, in some sense, not so easily pinpointed, and are likely to include pain and suffering, mental distress, loss of consortium, disfigurement, and loss of earning capacity. For example, if you were crushed beneath a panel, suffering injuries that required multiple surgeries because a crane operator ignored a stop signal and lowered a load onto you, you may be able to recover the costs of emergency care, surgeries, and subsequent therapies, as well as the costs of any prosthetics that are necessary.

Throughout these medical procedures, you may be unable to work, and will need replacement income for that period. For catastrophic injuries, some of our clients are left unable to work, or unable to work jobs that pay them at the same rate, and you are entitled to compensation for those, too. In addition, you may no longer be able to enjoy the same recreational activities as before, and the jury will try to synthesize your testimony and the testimony of family members and others to put a dollar figure on your loss of enjoyment.

Workers’ Compensation for Crane Accidents

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 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.

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.

Consult a Lawyer About Your Crane Accident Injuries

If you were injured in a crane accident, you need skillful legal representation. Call the experienced Illinois crane accident attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca to handle your personal injury lawsuit, workers’ compensation claim, or SSDI claim. Call us at 312-724-5846 or fill out our online form.