Equipment Accidents

CHICAGO LAW FIRM FOR EQUIPMENT ACCIDENTS

Many people in Illinois work with dangerous equipment on a daily basis as part of their jobs. Equipment accidents can result in devastating and even fatal injuries on the job. Whether you suffer an amputation of your arm while working with an electric saw or your leg is crushed in a machine, you should be able to recover workers’ compensation benefits for work-related injuries. If you are concerned about equipment accidents, you should talk to the seasoned Chicago work accident attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We are also knowledgeable litigators who can pursue damages in a third party lawsuit when appropriate. We can also pursue claims for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) if you’ve been left disabled by an equipment accident for which other remedies are not available.

LAWYERS FOR CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF EQUIPMENT ACCIDENTS

Workplace equipment accidents can result in maiming, catastrophic injuries or even fatalities. These injuries may not be an equipment operator’s fault. You can obtain workers’ compensation benefits so long as your injuries were sustained on the job in Chicago. These benefits are provided under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act and they are no-fault benefits. This means you can get these benefits even if you are partially or fully to blame for the equipment accident in which you were injured. In contrast to a third party lawsuit brought against someone other than your employer or coworker, your employer’s insurer cannot blame you for the accident in order to get your benefits reduced.

Common injuries that can result from defective heavy machinery include amputation, crushed appendages, and impact injuries. Equipment with moving parts may have safeguards to shield employees. When equipment fails or is defective, a worker’s appendage could be crushed because of contact with moving parts.

Equipment accidents can occur in connection with your use of any of the following: drills, saws, power tools, drill presses, grinders, printers, folding machines, cutting machines, punch presses, rollers, die casting welding machines, drying ovens, turning machines, welding machines, drying ovens, hand trucks, packaging machines, capping machines, and plastic injection machines. Each of these presents unique hazards. After an accident involving any of these types of equipment, it is important to give notice to your employer of the work-related accident. Our lawyers may be able to pursue a workers’ compensation claim; in many instances, employers take pursuit of a claim more seriously when a worker is legally represented.

While it’s not legally required that you present notice of your equipment-related injuries in writing, as a practical matter, your employer won’t be able to deny you gave notice if you’ve provided the notice in a writing or by email, and for that reason, it’s advisable to do so. Your employer may also ask you to fill out an incident report. There are strict time limits applicable to providing notice to your employer of a work-related accident when you are trying to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. It is wise to retain an attorney who can also examine the situation to determine whether it would be appropriate to bring a third party lawsuit.

THIRD PARTY LIABILITY

Equipment accidents can be the result of negligent conduct by a third party. For instance, if you are a construction worker who sustains injuries while using equipment such as an excavator, backhoe, bulldozer or trencher, you could be catastrophically injured and may need to pursue damages against a subcontractor or property owner. We can explore whether you’re entitled to relief in a personal injury or premises liability lawsuit. If your loved one was killed in an equipment accident caused by someone other than his employer or a coworker, we may be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.

Equipment may cause harm because it is defective. If workplace machines enact harm because of the way they were built or made, the equipment maker may be held responsible in a product liability lawsuit. When equipment accidents occur due to manufacturing, design or marketing defects, it can be challenging to build a legal case for the victim. An equipment manufacturer may try to make sure that the case is pursued under a theory of negligence so it can show that you were comparatively negligent, in the event that we pursue damages under a theory of negligence rather than strict liability.

HIRE A CHICAGO LAW FIRM TO REPRESENT YOU IN A WORK ACCIDENT

Our attorneys represent equipment accident victims in Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, and Aurora, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.