Philadelphia Crane Accident Lawyers
Cranes are often used in construction for building skyscrapers and moving materials, in maritime industries for loading and unloading freight and building bridges and oil rigs, and in many other industries for assembling heavy equipment. Cranes can be an extremely useful and efficient way to hoist materials that are much heavier than any human could lift. When operated and maintained properly, cranes rarely fail, but with improper maintenance, the negligence of others, and manufacturing defects, cranes can be exceedingly dangerous and lethal machinery. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that crane accidents take the lives of 89 people in the United States every year and cause thousands of devastating and catastrophic injuries.
Crane accidents pose a danger to not only workers, but also to bystanders. When a crane boom collapses or fails, thousands of pounds of materials may go tumbling to the ground, crushing anyone who may be below. Boom collapses often occur when the crane is overloaded beyond its maximum capacity or was improperly assembled. Overloading cranes can also result in crane tip-over and placing operators at risk for falling or being crushed under the weight of the crane. Accidents may also occur when crane rigging and cables break or fail, with mechanical failures, when working within the swing radius and getting struck by the counterweight, and if the ground surface is insufficient or unstable to support the weight of the load. Electrocution accidents are common when booms come into contact with overhead power lines. Many of these types of crane accidents end in disaster with workers sustaining life threatening injuries, and often death.
Serious crane-related injuries include head injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, neck & back injuries, fractures and broken bones, amputation, paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia, electric shock, and death. Many of these accidents and injuries are preventable and are caused by operator error, improper crane maintenance, overloading, lack of training and certification for operating a crane, failure to warn of potential hazards, design and manufacturing defects, metallurgical failures, and lack of oversight and supervision. Many safety features and regulations have been proposed by various construction groups, but the fact remains that the crane industry is not widely regulated. The Department of Labor reported that crane usage is one of the most heavily cited construction activities with numerous safety violations occurring everyday, creating a dangerous work environment.
If you or someone you love has been catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed as a result of a crane accident, there are several different parties who may be at fault: crane operators, construction companies, site owners, engineers, or crane manufacturers. For over three decades, the experienced Pennsylvania catastrophic injury and wrongful death lawyers of Reiff & Bily have fought hard to hold these parties responsible for the serious injuries and wrongful deaths their negligence and carelessness has caused. We have won awarded hundreds of millions to compensate crane accident victims and their families for their injuries, pain, suffering, lost wages, and mental anguish. Our team of product liability and premise liability experts has set the bar for holding manufacturers responsible when their recklessness ends in catastrophic injury and death. Contact one of our Philadelphia construction accident lawyers for a no-fee consultation. We are greedy for justice.
