Dangerous construction sites on our freeways result in thousands of deaths every year.  Those who are responsible for these dangerous sites must be held accountable.  It is important that an investigation is immediately started to determine whether the Cal Trans tanker was properly place and that the driver was given proper warning.

If a loved one has been killed in a road construction accident, call now for a free legal consultation 24/7 hotline – 888.222.8286.  Don’t delay!

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It is for these very reasons that business owners and companies adopt a no-nonsense approach to  safety in the work place, especially since there is link between employee safety and company productivity.  Indeed, any company can observe safety ordinances by learning and strictly adhering to government outlined procedures.

When a company fails to do its job

Some occupations like construction, electrical or off shore oil rig work can be inherently deadly in and of itself.  Even so, there are numerous safety practices that are supposed to be put into place to protect such employees.  Sadly, some companies care more about their bottom line and cut costs in places that may affect their ability to protect workers.

This short sighted response to a financial issue most often than not can result in disaster.  An example of this would be not purchasing protective items like ventilators and goggle for employees who have to handle asbestos.  This can result in the development of a deadly cancer called mesothelioma.  What’s more, a worker’s family members can be placed in danger, as asbestos can attach to clothing and cause illness to anyone who touches them.

The aftermath of injury and death

In the wake of a workplace injury or fatality, associated costs can threaten the financial security of victims and in some instances, leave them without a source of income.  In situations where debilitating injury occurred, medical bills can swallow up saved nest eggs and college funds as family members scramble to adjust both economically and mentally.  When a death occurs, funeral cost can also be tremendously draining as well.  If the individual who died was a primary wage earner,  a family could  become destitute in a very short time and may potentially lose everything.

What families can do

When a loved one dies due to company negligence, surviving relatives can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the company.   If crippling injury occurs, the victim and or their loved ones may also be able to file a personal injury claim.  By taking the matter to civil court, victims and/or their families could recover financial damages that would aid  them in paying for medical related costs as well as any lost earnings.

If you have lost a valued family member or were personally injured in an accident, contact one of our knowledgeable accident attorneys today.  You and your loved one deserve the secure future you worked hard to build.  Call now to set up a free consultation and get the compensation you need to keep your life together after a debilitating accident or tragic loss.

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Apparently, the workers were conducting repairs on a nearby radio tower, but the equipment faltered during the repair. The worker accident, which involved two workers, required additional assistance from an heavy equipment operator as the the Los Angeles Fire Department could not handle the problem alone. However, the firefighters and assisting companies were successful in rescuing the trapped workers from the accident.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department approximately 55 firefighters were required to rescue the two individuals from the worker accident, which was only solved after 1 hour and 32 minutes without injuries. The Los Angeles Fire Department attributes the lack of injuries to a proper use of safety equipment during the rescue at the worker accident.

If you have experienced a worker accident at a construction site or through other employment, especially if injuries did actually occur, it is of the utmost importance that you receive legal advice before advancing.  You may be required to file for workers compensation or other legal aspects of injuries caused by work. By calling our offices at 310.882.6810, you will be given a free consultation where your legal issues will be addressed.

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If the original driver was not given enough warning of the impending construction, he or she may not be legally responsible “liable” and may recover for his injuries and damages as well. However, if the first driver sees the road construction up ahead in plenty of time to change lanes to avoid it, but waits until the last moment and then makes an unsafe lane change that causes the accident, he or she can be held liable for all of the resulting injuries and damages.

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According to a statement from fire officials, the two workers received electrical shocks after interacting with a power line at approximately 7:44 a.m yesterday morning. As a result of the electrical shocks, the 28-year-old worker went into cardiac and respiratory arrest. A 46-year-old man, serving as supervisor during the accident, was also injured in an attempt to rescue the other worker.

Workers on the scene and fire officials performed CPR to resuscitate the injured worker prior to escorting him to the hospital, where he remained as of yesterday. The supervisor also required treatment for his injuries, though minor.

If you have been the victim of a worker injury, be assured that there are laws and regulations in place to protect you. However, taking full advantage of available opportunities such as workers compensation may require a lawyer. For help with workers compensation other worker injury, please contact our offices for legal advice and a free consultation.

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In another case, an inspector falsified an inspection report on a tower crane that later fell and killed seven people. In still another case, the tower crane dislodged some chunks from the top of the building, killing an executive walking below. A worker on a downtown Calgary, Canada construction site died when he was crushed by 1,800 kilograms of building materials that slipped out of a tower crane sling. The man was working as a rigger, assisting the tower-crane operator with moving material on the 21st floor of a building. A sling was being used to move heavy concrete forms from one part of the top floor to another when the load shifted and fell out, crushing the 27-year-old man to death.

In March 2008, two people were killed and five injured when a 7-ton section of a crane in Miami fell 30 stories. That same month, seven people died when a 200-foot tower crane fell and crushed a building in Manhattan. Two months later, the arm of another New York crane fell and killed two people.

In November 1989, a tower-crane accident occurred in the heart of San Francisco’s financial district, killing five people. As a result of that incident, California enacted some of the toughest—if not indeed the strictest—regulations relating to tower cranes. For instance, tower cranes in California are supposed to be inspected three times before the first load is lifted. State-certified inspectors perform the first two inspections, and Cal-OSHA does the third. Once the crane is in operation, they must undergo intensive inspections every six months. In between these formal inspections, crane operators are expected to conduct daily checks of the tower crane, and perform more rigorous inspections for every 750 hours of operation. And inspectors must be on the scene when the tower crane is being “jumped” (a section being added or taken out) or dismantled. Despite California’s stringent laws and regulations of tower cranes, Cal-OSHA inspectors routinely find safety violations. Some are so serious that the crane owner must make immediate repairs or force being shut down on the spot.

Many if not most tower crane injuries and deaths can be prevented by making sure the component parts are in good condition and that the tower crane was installed and used properly. The tower crane must be operated by a certified operator. In many states, it has only been in the last few years that operators of tower cranes have been required to be certified. Before that, a novice with an hour or two’s worth of instruction could operate the tower crane.

In the standard tower crane, several weeks before the crane arrives, a concrete pad extending some 25 feet into the ground is poured and reinforced with steel rebar. Large anchor bolts are embedded deep into the cement pad, holding the crane in place. One tower crane was anchored by being bolted into steel “I” beams that were welded to other steel beams. This crane collapsed, killing one person.

Once a tower crane is erected, but before it lifts its first load, a Cal-OSHA inspector spends about six hours looking for loose bolts, cracked welds, rust, and problems with fail-safe devices, or frayed cables. In most inspections, defects are found that can run from a minor problem to a major condition. Most safety breaches usually do not result in the tower crane being shut down or formal citation being issued and fines imposed. Where there is a shutdown, the whole construction job comes to a halt or slows considerably, costing the developer potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Operating a tower crane is among the most highly specialized skills in construction. Operators of tower cranes cannot see the loads they are picking up and must use a radio to communicate with workers on the ground to move its load to the correct position. One wrong move can have tragic consequences. In March 2007, two construction workers in Florida were killed when a tower crane plummeted 30 stories onto a condominium project. From 1996 to 2006, more than 50 people had died in crane accidents in Florida.

OSHA requires that the tower crane be inspected only once a year. After the 1989 catastrophe, California passed legislation requiring inspections every six months and mandating that operators submit drawings of the crane’s placement before receiving a permit. California law also requires that the inspectors of the tower crane to be independent and not employees of the owner or contractor, and have no financial interest in the development. Since these laws were passed, no one has died in a tower crane accident in California.

Different laws apply if the injured or deceased person (1) was an employee of the company that made or installed the tower crane, (2) was injured while working on or by the tower crane but was not employed by the tower crane company, or (3) was an innocent passer-by or bystander who is hurt or killed by the tower crane or items falling from it.

In the first situation, if you are employed by the company that made, supplied, and erected the dangerous tower crane, and are injured in the process of constructing, inspecting, maintaining, or dismantling the tower crane, then your rights are largely determined by the laws of worker’s compensation. Worker’s compensation provides benefits to the injured worker regardless of who was at fault. Indeed, the injured worker is entitled to worker’s compensation benefits even if the injuries were due to his or her own carelessness (“negligence”). The trade-off is that the amount of benefits the worker receives under worker’s compensation is considerably less than they would be if he or she were able to sue the company for negligence. Your wife and children are entitled only to worker’s compensation death benefits, which are much less than what they would be able to receive if they were allowed to sue the guilty employer.

In the second situation, if you work for another company, subcontractor, or are self-employed, and are using the tower crane while doing your work, then you may be able to bring a lawsuit for your injuries against the manufacturer, erector, inspector, or other party involved in the construction, maintenance, inspection, or dismantling of the tower crane.

In the third situation, innocent third persons who were standing, walking, or driving by the tower crane and were killed or injured when the tower crane collapsed due to improper erection or maintenance, may have a lawsuit against a number of entities. Some of the persons or entities that may be held legally responsible (“liable”) for the injuries to someone hurt in the tower crane-related accident include the engineers who designed the tower crane, the tower crane company itself, the supplier, the inspector, the operator, or the job-site supervisor. The owner or lessor of the land on which the faulty tower crane was located may also be liable for the injuries or death.

If a tower crane has collapsed, dropped materials, or otherwise hurt or killed a person, Cal-OSHA will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. The investigation may take several weeks or six months or more. The Cal-OSHA investigators will want to find out whether the accident was due to this particular tower crane, such as a faulty weld or defective bolt, or if the problem was one that could affect all other tower cranes of this make.

Some of the questions that will affect your right to sue the party(ies) at fault include: 

• Who was in charge of designing the tower crane?
• Who erected the tower crane and was it done properly?
• Was the tower crane properly inspected and maintained?
• Was the tower crane inspected by the operator before each shift to ensure it was safe?
• Were there defects in the components of the tower crane that caused it to collapse?
• Was the injured or killed person an innocent bystander or was he or she a worker on the construction project.

An experienced personal injury law firm can also help with seeing to it that you obtain appropriate and thorough medical care for your physical, emotional, and psychological injuries suffered as a result of the accident. They can also do everything possible to ensure that you obtain full compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, property damage, lost wages, and all of your other injuries and damages.  

If you have been injured or a loved one killed due to a tower crane collapse or other failure, you should contact an attorney experienced in this type of law as soon as possible. The attorney will want to send his or her investigator to the scene of the accident as soon as possible to take pictures of the scene before it has been cleaned up or altered in any way. The attorney or investigator will also want to interview witnesses to the accident while memories are still fresh.  Don’t delay, call now – 888.222.8286

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Of the 500,000 injuries that occur in the construction industry each year, 10,000 are related to scaffolds. It is estimated that of the 900 occupational fatalities occurring each year, about 80 are associated with work on scaffolds. Most of the injuries involved in scaffold accidents were caused by either the planking or support giving way, or to the worker slipping or being struck by a falling object. Plank slippage is the most common cause of serious accidents. 

Falls from scaffolding are a leading cause of serious injuries in the construction trades. Scaffolds are usually set up by another contractor, so a worker’s employer may not have any control over how well the scaffold has been erected. Additionally, scaffolding is often moved or modified as conditions on the worksite change. Each move or modification must be done carefully and appropriately for the continued safety of workers who may be several stories high as they do their work.

Different laws apply (1) if you are an employee of the company that made or installed the scaffolding, (2) if you were injured while working on the scaffolding but are not employed by the scaffolding company, or (3) if you are an innocent passer-by who is hurt by the scaffolding.

In the first situation, if you are employed by the company that made, supplied, and erected the dangerous scaffold, and are injured in the process of constructing, inspecting, maintaining, or dismantling the scaffolding, then your rights are largely determined by the laws of worker’s compensation. Worker’s compensation provides benefits to the injured worker regardless of who was at fault. Indeed, the injured worker is entitled to worker’s compensation benefits even if the injuries were due to his or her own carelessness (“negligence”). The trade-off is that the amount of benefits the worker receives under worker’s compensation is considerably less than they would be if he or she were able to sue the company for negligence.

In the second situation, if you work for another company, subcontractor, or are self-employed, and are using the scaffolding while doing your work, then you may be able to bring a lawsuit for your injuries against the manufacturer, erector, inspector, or other party involved in the construction, maintenance, inspection, or dismantling of the scaffolding.

In the third situation, innocent third persons who were standing, walking, or driving by the scaffolding and were killed or injured when the scaffolding collapsed due to improper erection or maintenance, may have a lawsuit against the construction company and the company responsible for the erection, maintenance, and inspection of the scaffolding. For instance, in one case a three-ton scaffold collapsed from a building, killing both construction workers that were standing on it, as well as a young doctor who was driving down the adjacent road.

 When an innocent person has been injured by defective scaffolding, there may be the right to sue a number of entities. Some of the persons or entities that may be held legally responsible (“liable”) for the injuries to someone hurt in a scaffold-related accident include the architect, engineers, scaffolding company, supplier, or job-site supervisor. The owner or lessor of the land on which the scaffold was located may also be liable for the injuries or death. 

              Scaffolding accidents can happen for a variety of reasons: 

• The planking or support of the scaffolding gives way
• The scaffolding may have been negligently designed or not constructed according to the plans
• Improper installation of the scaffolding
• The scaffolding was not maintained properly
• The scaffolding was not inspected regularly
• The scaffolding was used improperly, such as overloading it
• The scaffolding was moved from its original position and not secured properly at its new site
• Metal from the scaffolding comes into contact with a live power line, resulting in the electrocution of persons who come into contact with it
• Objects such as heavy tools may fall off the scaffolding, hitting a passer-by in the head causing severe head and brain injuries

Cal-OSHA (the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has specific regulations dealing with construction, inspection and use of the scaffolding equipment. To comply with the inspection requirements, a competent person is required to inspect the scaffold for any visible defects before work begins on each and every shift where it will be used. Protective equipment like body belts, harnesses, droplines, lanyards, and points of anchorage must also be inspected before beginning work.

 Cal-OSHA requires that every scaffold (and every individual scaffold component) be able to support at least four times its maximum load capacity without failing. On suspended scaffolds each suspension rope must be able to support at least six times the maximum load capacity without falling. 

              Some of the questions that will affect your right to sue the party at fault include: 

• Who was in charge of designing the scaffolding?
• Who erected the scaffolding and was it done properly?
• Was the scaffolding properly maintained?
• Was the scaffolding inspected before each shift to ensure it was safe?
• Were there defects in the scaffolding components that caused it to collapse?
• Were proper guardrails or safety features in place?
• Was the injured or killed person an innocent bystander or did he or she work on the construction project?
• Who did the injured or deceased person work for? 

              If you have been injured or a loved one killed due to a scaffolding collapse or other scaffolding accident, you should contact an attorney experienced in this type of law as soon as possible. The attorney will want to send his or her investigator to the scene of the accident as soon as possible to take pictures of the scene before it has been cleaned up or altered in any way. The investigator will also want to interview witnesses to the accident while memories are still fresh.  It is very important to your case, that evidence be preserved and well documented.  Don’t jeopardize your legal rights.  Call now and talk to a lawyer about your case for a free consultation – 888.222.8286 or 310.882.6810

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Since construction sites typically involve highly dangerous and potentially hazardous life-threatening conditions, these types of accidents may often result in very serious injuries and even wrongful death. Personal injuries suffered at construction sites can be among the most severe.

Some states have enacted laws that prevent an employee from suing his/her employee as a result of an injury at a construction site. Similar state laws and worker’s compensation laws have also placed limits as to the amount of compensation an employee may recover for injuries resulting from a work site accident. Since worker’s compensation typically does not provide the necessary compensation for personal injuries suffered while at work on a construction site, in order to recover compensation for additional damages such as pain and suffering, it is necessary to find a party other than the employer that was liable for the injuries.

Situations frequently arise where a party other than the employer is to blame for the injuries at the construction site. Construction equipment may be found to have been defective and/or dangerous both in design and manufacturing. While the construction company is responsible for providing a safe work environment, dangerous cranes, falling scaffolds, forklifts, conveyor belts, trucking equipment, drilling cranes, defective rock grinding machines, cement mixer, vehicle-mounted elevating machines, rotating work platforms, sawmills, tractors, welding machinery, chemical and biological materials may be found to have been the cause of the accident and resulting injury.

If you or a loved one has been injured while at work at a construction site and have been seriously injured, call today for a free consultation of your claim. 310.882.6810 or 888.222.8286 – Let our team of experienced trial lawyers help you seek the maximum recovery available.

• In the National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) in 2005, an average of 88 fatalities occurred in the years 2000-2004 from scaffolds, staging.
• There are over 50 scaffolding deaths every year (CFOI)
• Construction site accidents remain one of the most frequently workplace accidents in the country

Types of Construction Site Accidents
• Explosions – Chemical Explosions
• Scaffolding Accidents
• Electrocution – Electric Shock• Wrongful Death
• Broken Bones
• Paralysis/Paraplegia/Quadriplegia
• Brain Damage
• Amputation
• Severe Personal Injury
• Roof Collapse Injuries and Falls
• Crane Accidents
• Equipment Failure

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