The Los Angeles crane accident attorneys at The Salamati Law Firm understand the risks that crane operators and other workers take at busy construction sites. If you were hurt in a crane accident in California, our Los Angeles construction injury lawyers are here to protect your interests. We will cut through all the back and forth between contractors at the construction site to establish the party or parties that are liable for your injuries. We will fight to recover damages that will cover ALL of your injuries and losses!
Construction accidents involving cranes are still all-too-prevalent in California. As recently as 2015, for example, a 63-year old crane operator was killed when the 75-ton crane he was operating in San Bernardino County collapsed and pinned him under it.
Types of Crane Accidents
Our crane accident lawyers have seen worker injuries stemming from five general types of accidents:
- Crane machinery that pins a worker against an immobile object or surface
- Crane falls and crane collapses
- Moving parts of cranes that strike and injure a worker
- Objects or construction materials that fall from cranes and hit a worker
- Contact between a crane and electrical wires
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported that in the ten-year period between 1997 and 2006, more than 800 construction site workers were killed in workplace crane accidents. BLS crane accident statistics also reveal that there were 25 California construction fatalities between 2003 and 2006 as a result of crane accidents.
Almost two thirds of crane accident fatalities and a large majority of crane accident injuries are caused by contact between a moving crane and a worker.
Establishing Liability in Crane Accident Lawsuits
A crane accident attorney will analyze the specific facts of an injury to develop the best case and causes of action against the parties that are liable for the circumstances that caused the accident. This typically involves pursuing monetary recovery beyond that which an injured worker might receive from workers’ compensation. It also requires the attorney to investigate the roles and responsibilities of all of the contractors and subcontractors at a worksite, to determine who bears responsibility for crane safety.
Central to the success of your crane accident lawsuit is the need to establish the liable party’s failure to fulfill a duty to establish a safe working environment. Some questions your crane accident lawyer will ask include:
- Did the responsible party employ the crane for tasks that were outside of the crane builder’s specifications and standards (e.g. the crane was used to lift loads that were heavier than its specifications allowed)?
- Did the responsible party fail to set the crane up properly for the tasks it is performing?
Weather conditions at the time of the accident might also be a critical factor. Operating a crane when wind speeds are in excess of certain stated limits can put a crane operator in extreme danger.
Weather can also play a role if objects or construction materials fall from the crane and injure workers who are in the field below the crane.
Crane Accident Settlements
If you have been hurt in a crane accident, you may be eligible for compensation to cover medical costs, lost wages, physical therapy, and other related expenses. Workers compensation insurance might cover some, but not all of these costs and expenses. Your crane accident attorney will examine whether and to what extent a lawsuit can increase the total reimbursement for your injury.
In most cases, the liable party’s insurance carriers will offer a settlement that is below the aggregate amount of those costs and expenses. A crane accident lawyer will then engage in negotiations for a larger settlement recovery that considers lost wages and other costs that might not be covered under workers compensation. If those negotiations do not lead to a satisfactory result, your lawyer can take your case to trial to argue for a larger amount before a jury.
Call a Crane Accident Lawyer at the Salamati Law Firm Today
The Salamati Law Firm in Los Angeles represents injured construction workers throughout the State of California. Cranes are the largest single piece of equipment at any construction site, and despite better standards and tighter regulations in recent years, workers are still experiencing injuries and even death from crane accidents. Call today for more information on how our crane accident attorneys can help! All initial consultations are free and we never charge a fee unless we win money for you.
Additional “Crane Accident Lawsuit” Resources:
- Osha.gov, Crane and Hoist Safety. https://www.osha.gov/archive/oshinfo/priorities/crane.html
- News3lv.com, Henderson Man Killed in California Crane Accident. http://news3lv.com/archive/henderson-man-killed-in-california-crane-accident
- Bls.gov, Crane-Related Occupational Fatalities. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/osh_crane_2006.pdf
