Although many industries are safer today than in the past, some workplaces, such as construction sites, are still prone to accidents. Construction site accidents, such as crane injuries, can severely alter your life and cause you physical, emotional, and financial problems. You might wonder where you can turn to get the financial relief your family needs at this difficult time.
Fortunately, a skilled Cypress crane injury lawyer from Schechter, Shaffer & Harris might be able to help you navigate the legal system in the hopes of obtaining you reasonable compensation for your injuries. When you need help, ask our local work injury attorneys for assistance.
How Do Crane Accidents Occur?
Cranes are very useful on construction sites and other workplaces because they allow workers to transport heavy objects, such as materials and equipment. However, they can also be dangerous, especially if not used correctly. Some of the reasons that crane accidents occur are as follows:
- Lack of proper training
- Heavy loads that are too big for the crane
- Improper installation of the crane
- Miscommunication between workers
- Contact with power lines
- Rigging that is unsafe
- Lack of regular inspections, maintenance, or repairs of crane
- Inherently defective crane equipment
- Insufficient operating instructions, such as a lack of adequate manufacturer warnings
Sometimes, when a crane accident occurs, it is because more than one person or company makes a mistake. Our determined Cypress attorneys at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris could carefully review the evidence from the crane accident to see what went wrong and caused your injuries and identify all potential defendants.
How Can You Obtain Compensation for Your Work Injuries in Cypress?
A skilled Cypress attorney could help you pursue a claim against all responsible parties.
Employer
You might be eligible to sue your employer directly. Unlike most other states, Texas does not require all private employers to carry workers’ compensation for their employees’ workplace injuries. Instead, companies are allowed to opt out of subscribing to the statewide program as long as they provide a separate method of compensation for their injured employees. If your crane accident occurred while you were working for a non-subscriber employer, you would not be held to the strict workers’ compensation statute guidelines. You would be able to sue your employer directly, provided you can demonstrate that your employer’s negligence somehow led to your injuries.
Even if your actions contributed to the injuries, you would still be able to sue your employer because non-subscriber employers cannot argue contributory negligence of an employee as a defense. In addition, workers’ compensation awards are typically far more limited than civil lawsuit damages. If you pursue a civil suit against your employer, you could be eligible to seek additional, non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering and mental anguish, which would not be permissible under the workers’ compensation system.
Manufacturer
If the crane or any other equipment used with the crane was inherently faulty, you could seek damages from the manufacturer in a product liability lawsuit. Similarly, if the crane did not come with proper working instructions, you could sue the manufacturer for failure to warn.
Third Party
You might also be able to sue any other third party whose actions contributed to your crane accident. For instance, you might be able to sue a subcontractor, property owner, or landlord where the accident happened.
Our Cypress legal team would work tirelessly to help you obtain the financial assistance you deserve after your crane accident.
Contact a Cypress Crane Injury Attorney
Crane injuries can have a devastating impact on your life. You might lose weeks of income, in addition to getting a large bill for medical expenses. Let a Cypress crane injury lawyer guide you through the legal process, and contact Schechter, Shaffer & Harris as soon as possible to discuss what happened.
