Westchester County Crane Accident

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) there are over 250,000 crane operators in the construction industry who operate approximately 125,000 cranes in the United States. Working with heavy equipment such as crane, is extremely dangerous. Despite safety equipment and training, accidents happen frequently. A crane injury can be extremely serious, and cause life-long disability and even death. Serious brain injuries, skull fractures, bone fractures, and back injuries are injuries commonly suffered by victims of crane accidents. With these types of injuries there will be high medical expenses, loss of income and psychological trauma. If your injury was due to the negligent acts of another party, it is important to know that you may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries and out of pocket expenses. It is important that you contact an experienced Westchester County crane injury attorney who will review your case and work hard to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve.

Even though there are both federal and state regulations that require the implementation of very specific safety standards for using cranes, each year workers and even bystanders are hurt in crane accidents. Common reasons for crane accidents include:

• Cranes hitting power lines
• Rigging failures
• Mechanical failure
• Dropped loads
• Overturning
• Improper operation
• Boom collapse
• Poor communication between workers
• Poor training
• Lack of safety precautions

According to federal government statistics there were over 632 deaths in the United States from cranes accidents since 2009.

Pursuant to OSHA regulations, there are specific rules and regulations that employers and employees must following in order to prevent accidents.

• At all times there must be proper clearance
• Cage-type booms guards should not be use as a substitute for grounded and de-energized lines
• Electrical and transmission lines must be de-energized
• In order to prevent contact with power lines, insulated barriers that are not part of the crane must be used

Crane accidents often involve falls, falling loads and contact with power lines. This means that many accident victims suffer broken bones, head trauma, back injuries and burns. Each of these are serious injuries and require immediate and sometimes extended medical care. This means high medical bills and the inability to work. In addition to you experiencing serious injuries, you may also have to face financial woes.

Because it is unfair that the victim should have to shoulder all of the financial losses related to an accident caused by another person's negligence, the law allows victims to sue the responsible party in order to recover compensation. You may be entitled to recover your medical expense—both past and future, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and pain and suffering.

If you were injured in a crane accident while you were working, the accident may be subject to workers' compensation. New York law requires all employers to carry workers' compensation insurance. This means that if the accident is the type of accident that is covered by workers' compensation insurance, you must file claim in order to be awarded medical benefits, wage replacement and vocational training.

Even if you accident occurred in the workplace, you may still be entitled to sue for additional compensation through a personal injury claim. Particularly in stances where the accident was caused by a third party such as the crane manufacturer, you may retain the right to file a personal injury lawsuit and demand damages above and beyond benefits available through a workers' compensation claim.

If you or a loved one was injured in a crane accident, it is important that you are represented by someone with experience representing clients who suffered catastrophic injuries in construction accidents. The staff at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates has experience successfully representing clients injured in construction accidents, as well as vehicle accidents, slip and fall accidents and other types of accidents caused by negligence. In addition, we have the resources to handle complex construction accident cases. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.