CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS
Danger is a fact of life on construction sites. The industry by its very nature can be hazardous. However, the overwhelming majority of construction site accidents can be avoided by following simple safety guidelines. Government agencies such as the Department of Labor and its subsidiary, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), have developed safety standards that must be followed on job sites. When safety guidelines and standards are violated, the lives and well-being of workers are put in jeopardy.
John Dooley worked as a union carpenter and pile driver on construction sites for several years. His roots in the industry provide him with invaluable personal insights into construction cases and the challenges faced by our clients when they are injured on a job site. Our office has extensive experience handling a variety of construction accidents, including crane accidents, ladder and scaffold falls, electrocutions, forklift injuries, accidents caused by falling objects, and trench collapses.
Crane accidents
There are about 125,000 cranes operating in the United States. Crane accidents lead to serious or even fatal injuries every year. These are often a result of poor supervision, lack of maintenance, inadequate training, and other human errors. The circumstances of your crane accident may provide an opportunity for you to recover money for your damages. Contact us today to find out if we can help.
Ladder accidents
Insufficient fall protection and safety measures for workers on ladders can easily cause death and serious injury. Our firm has successfully litigated ladder accident cases against some of the largest corporations in the world. In 2006, John Dooley recovered a $9 million verdict against Sun Co. Inc. (Sunoco) for an injured worker who fell due to the lack of a safety cage on a fixed ladder.
Scaffolding accidents
About 4,500 people fall from scaffolds each year and suffer serious injury. On average, 50 victims will die as a result of such accidents each year. OSHA implemented safety standards in 1971 to provide a safer working environment for construction workers. If you have suffered a scaffolding accident, contact us immediately to determine your best legal course of action.
Electrical accidents
Electrical accidents and burns occur frequently on construction sites. They can cause serious injury or death. Marking underground power lines or ensuring that electricity is cut off to conduits prior to the start of work can save a worker’s life. Our office has extensive experience in this area , and the firm recently recovered $1.85 million for a utility worker who was killed by electrocution.
Forklift injuries
Forklifts are one of the most common means of transporting materials on a construction site,. More than one million forklifts are in use in the United States. While these machines certainly help get jobs done, they sometimes cause serious injury. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 95,000 workers are injured in forklift accidents, with 20,000 of them seriously injured each year. On average, 100 people die in forklift accidents annually. Contact us today if you have been involved in a forklift injury.
Falling objects
If you have been hurt by falling objects on a construction site, contact a legal professional immediately. Falling object injuries usually are the result of poor organization or thoughtless packing. Construction site managers are obligated to enforce strict rules and follow guidelines concerning the way materials and equipment are stored. If these rules have not been followed, you will need the help of a seasoned attorney to prove it. Contact us today.
Trench collapse
One of the most deadly hazards on a construction site is a trench collapse. Trenches are generally defined as an excavation that is deeper than it is wide. OSHA requires that a ladder or other means of egress be present in trenches of a certain depth. Additional safety measures, such as shoring or boxing to support the side of the trench, may also be required. If a responsible party fails to take adequate precautions, a trench collapse can be fatal to those workers inside the excavation.
OTHER PERSONAL INJURY CASES
Our firm has extensive experience in litigating other common personal injury cases. Generally these cases involve:
Product liability
A manufacturer or supplier of a product must guarantee that the product is safe. If a product is defective and harms someone then the manufacturer or supplier may be liable for damages caused by the defective product. It is vitally important to preserve the defective product after an accident to allow an inspection or testing of the product to be performed. Our firm routinely hires engineers or other experts to investigate potential product liability cases to determine whether the product was defectively designed, built or even if a product lacks instructions. In a recent case, our firm obtained a $2 million settlement for a laborer who was injured on the job by a defective industrial vehicle.
Auto accidents
Automobile accidents account for most of the personal injury claims in this country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every 10 seconds someone in the United States is involved in a car accident. Determining fault in a traffic accident is a matter of proving who was negligent. If possible, have someone photograph the accident and pavement showing skid marks, even if only on a cell phone camera. This should be done before leaving the scene. An experienced attorney can consult a number of sources such as police reports, state traffic laws, and witnesses to build your case. Contact us today to see how we can help.
Wrongful death
Relatives of a person whose death was caused by negligent, willful or wrongful act, or omission or default of another, are entitled to recover damages due to this injustice. Medical malpractice, occupational hazards, traffic accidents, and more can all result in a wrongful death case. New Jersey and Pennsylvania each has its own set of civil wrongful death statutes. Contact us today to determine your options.
Premises liability
Lead poisoning, swimming pool injuries, fires, explosions, exposure to hazardous materials, and animal bites are among the types of cases that fall under the premises liability umbrella. Very often, these injuries are caused by the negligence of another. Contact us today to find out if you have a viable claim against the property owner or manager for an injury you have suffered.
Slip and fall
Slip and fall claims generally involve injuries caused by an unsafe or defective condition of a property. Broken sidewalks, uncleared snow and ice, potholes, and hidden drop-offs are common causes for fall accidents. In order to recover in such cases it is vital to prove that the property owner knew or should have known of the dangerous condition beforehand. Photographs and measurements are often invaluable in preserving evidence necessary to prove these cases and immediate steps must be taken to document the unsafe condition.
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