If you or a loved one has ever worked at a construction site, you know they are full of dangers. Serious workplace injuries are common. Cranes are one of the leading causes of injuries at construction sites. Incidents involving fallen crane loads or bodily impact with a crane can lead to serious injury, and in some instances death. Though site supervisors are aware of the risks associated with cranes and these risks can easily be avoided, precautions and safety standards are often overlooked in the interest of time and money. If you or a loved are injured or killed due to a crane accident, you may be entitled to recovery for your loss, pain and suffering.

In most cases, crane accidents are completely avoidable. Cranes should only be operated by specially trained employees and in good weather conditions. They should be regularly inspected and operators should take care to never exceed the lift capacity, as doing so will greatly increase the chances of fallen loads. Despite the relative ease of maintaining and operating cranes, contractors disregard these basic rules and misuse the equipment.

For instance, fallen crane loads result from improperly weighted loads, overloading or off balance loads. Fallen loads can lead to broken collar bones, hip fractures, lacerations and event blunt force injuries, as well as impaling or killing workers located below. Also, as with other motorized vehicles on site, there is the threat of being run over by a crane. Such bodily impact can also lead to internal bleeding, organ damage, broken bones or even death. Supervisors are responsible for making sure only trained workers operate cranes and both operators and supervisors are responsible for making sure they stay within the recognized load capacity for any given crane. The failure to take the simple precaution of making an extra run or two rather than overloading or waiting for a trained driver could mean the difference between an injury free work day or the death of a worker.

In the event of serious injury to yourself or the wrongful death of a loved one due to construction accidents, contact an accident attorney immediately. Such injuries have a profound financial and emotional affect on workers and their loved ones and you may want to recover payment from the responsible parties. However, determining the liability and properly documenting the scope of your loss resulting from such injuries is often complicated and difficult. Early involvement of a legal representative can help insure recovery, as well as take the burden off of you as you deal with your injury or loss.