Construction Site Accidents Involving Heavy Equipment

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Contractors in charge of a construction site, i.e., the prime or general contractor, are often required to ensure that site operations are being performed safely. Safety meetings with subcontractors, and having and enforcing safety rules are important. However, the reality is that many contractors fail to take safety seriously and that’s when heavy equipment accidents occur, such as:

  • crane accidents,
  • paver accidents, and
  • excavator accidents.

These kinds of accidents are often fatal to the operators as well as workers nearby. If not fatal, crush injuries as well as head and spinal injuries can end a worker’s career. Injured union workers may lose union benefits and families may face financial ruin.

OSHA regulations often apply, depending on the type of equipment being used. For instance, OSHA regulates use of cranes and mandates certain safety protocols for crane assembly, disassembly, etc.

When a heavy equipment accident such as a crane accident happens, very often, violation of OSHA regulations caused the accident. When this occurs, depending on the state’s laws, the injured worker may be entitled to bring a tort or negligence lawsuit against a contractor at the site. Most states bar an employee from suing his or her employer directly. However, claims against non-employer contractors may be allowed. Each state’s laws vary and so it is important to have any potential case evaluated by a work accident lawyer.

Construction Site Accidents Involving Equipment

In situations where a worker is killed or injured in a construction site accident involving heavy equipment like a crane, tort and negligence laws often allow the injured worker and his or her family to recover for the financial losses and injuries caused by the accident. In many cases, there are multiple liable parties, such as:

  • contractors,
  • subcontractors,
  • equipment service and maintenance companies, and
  • equipment rental companies.

In addition, a defective products liability claim may be necessary, if a defective machine or equipment caused the accident. Read more about heavy equipment accident cases. In order to preserve all rights, it is important to have a potential work accident case investigated by a knowledgeable work accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey Construction Accident Lawyers

Jeff Laffey is passionate about workers’ rights and accident safety. Last year, he gave a workplace safety presentation to union members in Philadelphia.

Jeff’s law firm proudly represents union and nonunion workers, such as:

  • carpenters,
  • plumbers,
  • electricians,
  • steel workers,
  • iron workers, and
  • laborers.

If you or a loved one was seriously hurt or killed in a construction accident, contact our Pennsylvania and New Jersey construction accident lawyers for a free, confidential consultation. Our lawyers accept cases in other states such as New York or Delaware on a case by case basis and welcome calls from local counsel. (866) 641-0806/Click To Call

Disclaimer: The lawyers at Laffey, Bucci & Kent provide quality legal advice to individuals after accepting their case. No attorney-client relationship is created by this website. Nothing on this site is intended to provide legal advice. Because every case is unique, discussion of prior outcomes and settlements in past cases is no guarantee of a similar outcome in current or future cases.