Scaffold Accidents

Chicago Lawyers for Scaffold Accident Injuries

Scaffolds are temporary elevated platforms on which construction workers can lift themselves, along with their materials and equipment, to work on higher locations at the construction site. Typically they’re made of complicated systems of metal pipes. While scaffolds can be safe to work from when properly constructed and used, a mistake can lead to catastrophic injuries and fatalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that falls from scaffolds are the reason for around 25% of deadly falls at construction sites, and scaffold-related accidents cause roughly 60 deaths and 4500 injuries on an annual basis. If you were injured or a loved one was killed as a result of this kind of accident, you should call the seasoned Chicago scaffold accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. With over 60 years of experience representing clients who have been injured, we stand ready to represent you not only in a personal injury lawsuit but also a workers’ compensation claim and SSDI claim.

Scaffold Accidents at Chicago Construction Sites

Scaffolds are used in order to gain access to locations that are too high to reach. Most scaffold accidents involve falling objects striking the worker on the scaffold or those below him, slipping or tripping while on the scaffold because of a slippery surface, or falling from the scaffold because the planking is improperly assembled or defective or guardrails aren’t present. Sometimes injuries occur because the scaffold is overloaded; the worker has insufficient fall protection and safety equipment; environmental or atmospheric conditions are poor; or the placement of the scaffolds or equipment is too close to a power line, resulting in electrocution. Common scaffold accident injuries include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, amputations, and lacerations. Workers standing on scaffolds may be injured, but those walking underneath a scaffold, such as a pedestrian or visitor to the site are also at risk of serious injuries when scaffolding collapse or objects fall from it. Liability

Our lawyers will need to establish liability in order to secure damages on your behalf after a scaffold accident. You cannot sue your employer for your injuries if you’re a construction worker injured onsite. However, you can sue third parties, such as a subcontractor or contractor for whom you don’t work as an employee, or property owners, equipment suppliers, and manufacturers who are at fault for the scaffold accident.

To establish a contractor’s negligence, for example, we’d need to show: (1) the defendant owed you a duty to use reasonable care, (2) breach of the duty to use reasonable care, (3) causation, and (4) actual damages. For instance, if you were not reasonably provided appropriate fall protection equipment by a contractor other than your employer, and due to the lack of fall protection equipment, you fell and broke several bones, our attorneys may be able to establish negligence.

Damages

In most cases, damages in a scaffold accident case are compensatory, meaning they are supposed to put you back in the position you would have been in had there been no negligence. They can include medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, replacement services, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. In some cases, such as when the only responsible party is an employer or your own negligence caused the accident, your available relief may be limited to workers’ compensation benefits. These are no-fault benefits paid by the insurer to whom your employer pays premiums. These benefits can cover a percentage of your average weekly wage when you are unable to work because of a job-related injuries, as well as your reasonable and necessary medical expenses.

Consult a Chicago Lawyer About Your Scaffold Collapse Injuries

If you were injured in a crash or a loved one died as a result of an accident, you need skillful legal representation. Call the experienced DuPage County car accident attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca to handle your personal injury lawsuit, SSDI claim, or workers’ compensation claim. Call us at 312-724-5846 or fill out our online form.