Georgia Construction Accident Lawyers Warn That Cranes Pose a Serious Risk of Causing Fatal Construction Accidents
Cranes are a fundamental piece of heavy machinery used in the construction industry. While mobile cranes constitute an essential form of equipment on many building projects, they also are a leading cause of serious injury and wrongful death in construction accidents. Data from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) covering a ten year period indicates that crane accidents accounted for eight percent of construction site fatalities.
Though this is a significant percentage of construction industry fatalities, the number of injuries and fatalities associated with crane accidents is probably much higher because most industry statistics tend to lump cranes in with other heavy machinery. Many people underestimate the significance of the danger posed by cranes on construction sites. However, nearly a 100,000 cranes are in use, and each poses a multitude of hazards.
Crane Accident Victims Can Pursue Compensation for Construction Site Accidents
Our experienced Georgia construction accident lawyers at Montlick & Associates provide zealous advocacy to those injured by heavy machinery, including accidents involving cranes. If you have been seriously injured or a loved one has been tragically killed in a fatal crane accident in Georgia, contact our knowledgeable attorneys to learn about your rights as well as what steps are necessary to protect those rights.
Common Causes of Serious Construction Accidents
There are many factors that can cause a crane accident, but some of the most serious involve, among others:
• Any failure of lifting tackle or unanticipated rigging failure that causes a falling load
• Employees working within the radius of a swinging cab or counterweight
• Inadvertent rotation of the turntable
• Crane tipping accidents related to an improperly secured load or excessively heavy load
• Accidents related to crane access and egress
• Operator error resulting from confusion regarding controls
• Electrocution of crane operators or nearby workers when cranes contact power lines
• Injuries to people on the ground from moving or falling loads
• Improper assembly or disassembly resulting from inadequate communication or worker mistakes
• Accidents involving man lifts
• Malfunction of the crane or its parts
• Boom buckling
A crane is a complex piece of machinery, so these factors are only a small sampling of potential causes of Georgia crane accidents. Specific OSHA requirements and other state and federal safety regulations are designed to mitigate the risk associated with crane use, but these regulations often fail to prevent serious crane accidents and other construction accidents. In certain cases, OSHA regulations are ignored, which places crane operators and other construction workers at risk of serious injury or wrongful death.
Pursuing Dual Strategies to Maximize Potential Recovery
Our experienced Atlanta construction accident lawyers recognize the importance of pursuing both workers’ compensation benefits as well as a personal injury claim against negligent third-parties — individuals or companies other than the injured person’s employer — who caused or contributed to a workplace injury. A worker’s compensation claim, regardless of fault, will generally constitute an exclusive remedy against an injured construction worker’s employer. The available benefits typically include medical care, partial wages, disability compensation, and death benefits, depending on the facts and circumstances of what happened. However, many forms of compensation are not available through the Georgia workers’ compensation system. In cases in which a negligent third-party is at fault for a workplace injury, the injured worker can normally pursue a financial recovery against individual(s) or company(s) responsible for the worker’s damages, including compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, Pain and Suffering, and more — all while also pursuing workers’ compensation benefits. Our law firm explores the conduct of third-partiesin crane accidents, such as the crane manufacturer, equipment rental companies, and the project owner so that we can fight to pursue the fullest recovery for our clients under the law.
Put Our Law Firm’s Over 39 Years of Legal Experience to Work For Your Case!
If you or someone you love has been injured in a serious crane accident, or you have lost someone you love, you should seek immediate legal advice from experienced Georgia construction accident lawyers at Montlick & Associates. Our law firm has been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout Georgia and in the Southeast for over 39 years, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state.
No matter where you are located, the attorneys of Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED® (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.