Articles Posted in Construction Accident

Aerial work platforms, such as boom lifts, are critical pieces of construction equipment. While these are necessary for completing most construction projects, they carry inherent dangers and risks of injuries. According to the Center for Construction Research and Training, over 25 construction workers die every year while using this type of equipment. Illinois construction workers who have suffered injuries from this type of equipment should contact an attorney to discuss their rights and remedies.

Aerial lift equipment includes boom lifts, scissor lifts, man lifts, and genie lifts. Research indicates that construction workers tend to experience the highest rate of injuries and fatalities on this equipment, followed by construction laborers and electrical power line installers. Using this equipment can be extraordinarily dangerous, and it is critical that construction companies properly train workers on how to use this machinery. Similarly, equipment manufacturers must ensure that the machinery is free of design and manufacturing defects.n

The most common accidents involving this equipment include electrocutions, falls, aerial tip-overs, crushing, and falling objects. For instance, local news reports described a tragic Chicago accident involving a boom lift collapse. Two workers were using a boom lift to conduct repairs on an office building when the lift broke and fell through a parking garage. Both of the men fell off of the lift, slamming into the ground. One of the workers died from his injuries at the hospital, and the other man remains in the intensive care unit. Structural engineers and the building’s representatives announced that the building and structure are unsafe. The building is closed until authorities determine that residents can reenter safely.

Recently, an appellate court issued an opinion hinging on a governmental immunity defense in an Illinois negligence lawsuit. The case arose after a construction worker fell and suffered severe career-ending injuries during a project.

The construction worker was assigned to a project after a Chicago water reclamation plant entered into a contract with a construction company for the removal of certain facilities. The government agency and construction company entered into an agreement that included provisions regarding acceptance of plans, and responsibility for the safety, maintenance, and repairs of the project.

The construction worker’s wife filed a lawsuit against the government district, alleging claims including construction negligence, loss of consortium, and willful and wanton construction negligence. The plaintiff argued that the district exhibited a conscious disregard and indifference for the construction worker’s safety.

A construction worker was recently injured while working on a four-story building project at Edward Hospital in Naperville. According to Naperville Fire Department Bureau Chief Kevin Lyne, the man was hurt while standing on the roof of the hospital’s West Building after construction material fell on him. Although the man did not fall to the ground below, firefighters were reportedly summoned to rescue him from the building’s roof. Emergency responders purportedly called a Specialized Rescue Response Team to the scene of the incident in order to bring the injured man down. Lyne said rescue crews took more than half an hour to lower the construction worker to the ground using a crane. Once on the ground, the worker was reportedly taken inside of the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Hospital operations were purportedly not affected and construction resumed after the injured worker was rescued.

Thousands of construction and other workers throughout the United States are injured or killed in workplace accidents every year. According to the nation’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the number one cause of workplace deaths throughout the country. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created OSHA in an effort to protect construction, industrial, and other employees from unsafe conditions at work. Under the Act, employers must provide workers with a reasonably safe working environment, information regarding possible workplace safety hazards, safety training, and other safety-related requirements. Additionally, employers must comply with all federal health and safety regulations. In general, when a serious workplace injury occurs in Illinois and elsewhere OSHA will investigate whether an employer complied with federal safety requirements.

Normally, injuries sustained at an Illinois workplace are subject to state workers’ compensation laws. Sometimes, however, a third party such as a general contractor or equipment manufacturer may be held responsible for failing to adhere to state or federal safety requirements. For example, the company that manufactured a dangerous or defective piece of construction machinery may be held liable for any worker injury that resulted during use of the product. Similarly, a general contractor at a building site such as the hospital in this case has a duty to warn construction employees about potential safety hazards. If you or someone you love was harmed in a construction or other workplace accident, you are advised to contact a quality attorney to discuss your options for financial recovery.
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A 56-year-old Orland Park man recently settled a brain injury lawsuit for a record $5.1 million. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning worker was reportedly hurt in a March 2005 accident when a forklift operator working three stories above the man accidentally dropped building materials on him at a Chicago construction site. The pile of lumber allegedly hit the worker on the head and left the man with a concussion as well as a diminished memory and reduced learning capacity. The man later filed a lawsuit in DuPage County against the building’s general contractor, Dubin & Associates, and subcontractor, Asbach & Vanselow, alleging their negligence caused his traumatic head injury.

The worker’s lawsuit reportedly relied heavily on a medical study recently conducted on former National Football League players. Researchers purportedly analyzed the brain function of former players who endured head injuries while playing professional football and found that a single concussion could cause permanent issues with an individual’s brain function. Many of those issues were allegedly similar to those experienced by the injured worker.

Unfortunately, thousands of workers throughout the United States are hurt or killed in construction accidents each year. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created OSHA in an effort to reduce or eliminate such worker injuries and deaths. The Act requires employers to provide workers with a reasonably safe working environment, safety training, information regarding possible workplace safety hazards, and more. In addition, employers must comply with all federal health and safety regulations. When a serious workplace injury occurs, OSHA will normally investigate whether an employer complied with established safety standards.

In general, Chicago workplace accidents are subject to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. The Act generally precludes an employer from being held responsible for workplace accidents. Still, in some cases a third party who failed to adhere to state or federal safety regulations may be held liable for a worker’s injury. A general contractor, architect, equipment manufacturer, and others may be sued for negligence when a worker is hurt in a preventable construction accident. Because the amount of time during which you may file a lawsuit is limited, you should contact a hardworking attorney to discuss your options for financial recovery following any Chicago construction accident injury.
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A Cook County jury recently awarded a paralyzed former iron worker $64 million in damages as a result of allegedly unsafe working conditions at a DeKalb construction site. According to the injured Monee man, studs caused him to trip while he was walking on an iron beam 20 feet in the air at a warehouse that was being constructed for an electronics company in 2007. As a result, the worker reportedly fell, landed on his head, and broke his neck. He is now paralyzed from the chest down and purportedly requires round-the-clock care.

In his lawsuit, the paralyzed worker claimed that no safety harnessing equipment was installed in order to prevent his fall. He was left with limited arm movement and has purportedly undergone multiple surgeries in an effort to regain some movement in his hands and other body parts. The paralyzed man allegedly experiences constant and severe pain in his neck. Since the accident, his medical expenses have reportedly reached $5 million.

The jury’s verdict was the largest ever awarded to a paralyzed individual in the State of Illinois. Still, the jury found the electronics company only 80 percent responsible for the paralyzed man’s injury. The jury also found the worker 20 percent responsible for his harm. Under Illinois’ modified comparative negligence system, this means the worker’s award will be reduced by 20 percent. An attorney for the electronics company, which also acted as the general contractor at the construction site, stated the accident was caused by the injured man’s failure to follow his own employer’s safety requirements. He also said the company plans to appeal the allegedly excessive award.

Sadly, thousands of workers are hurt or killed in construction accidents every year. According to the nation’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, inadequate fall protection is one of the top two safety violations committed in the United States. Falls are also the number one cause of workplace deaths throughout the country.

Workplace accidents in Illinois are normally subject to state workers’ compensation laws. A third party such as general contractor or equipment manufacturer, however, may be held liable for any failure to implement or adhere to state or federal safety requirements. For example, the company that manufactured or sold a dangerous or defective piece of construction machinery may be held financially responsible for any injury that results from use of the product. Likewise, a general contractor at a building site has a duty to ensure a reasonable level of worker safety and to warn construction employees about possible safety hazards. If you were hurt in a construction accident, you should contact a skilled lawyer to discuss your options for financial recovery.
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