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Chicago Scaffolding Accident Lawyer
Almost every construction site utilizes scaffolding structures to give workers access to buildings when they are being built. Approximately 20% of the 500,000 construction accidents involve workers falling from scaffolding and ladders on active job sites.
Unsecure scaffolding or when they have too much weight on them makes structures unstable, often resulting in serious injury or death to construction workers.
Every Chicago personal injury attorney at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC law firm is committed to securing maximum compensation for victims of scaffold accidents in and around Chicago, Illinois.
Contact our law firm today for a free consultation at (888) 424-5757.
Our construction accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means we receive payment only after our legal team wins compensation on your personal injury case through a settlement or jury award.
Statistics Relating to Scaffolding Accidents on Construction Sites
The Department of Labor tracks how many workers in the United States work on scaffolding yearly. Nearly two-thirds of construction workers in the United States will work on a scaffold one or more times in a given year.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) studies showed that 25 percent of workers injured in scaffold accidents had received no scaffold safety training, and 77 percent of scaffolds were not equipped with guardrails.
Types of Scaffolding Injuries in Illinois
The nature and extent of a scaffolding injury depend on the height of the fall and if the construction workers have safety equipment on.
Common injuries are:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): If a worker falls from scaffolding, or if scaffolding collapses and falling objects strike a worker or passerby below, the victim will likely experience significant head trauma.
- Fractured Bones: Victims of a scaffolding fall risk fracturing bones due to the impact of falling to the ground.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: A sudden fall from a scaffold can cause trauma to a worker's back and neck, resulting in a spinal cord injury or paralysis.
- Death: Unfortunately, approximately 60 workers die in falls from a scaffold structure each year.
If you are or know of any injured workers resulting from scaffold occupational safety and health hazards in Chicago, IL, contact our experienced construction accident lawyers to file a personal injury claim on your behalf.
Common Causes of Scaffolding Accidents in The Construction Industry
- In some cases, construction companies will try to cut corners when providing safe scaffolding for employees to use on the job. As a result of improper maintenance, oversight, and defective equipment, workers can be injured in falls and by falling objects.
- In other cases, a construction company might not invest what they need in employee safety training to keep a project moving on schedule and to save money.
Occupational Safety Regulations to Protect Construction Workers
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a complete set of safety equipment regulations intended to provide rules for nearly every aspect of using a scaffold in the construction industry.
Here are some of the safety precautions with which employers must comply when scaffolds are used to prevent construction accidents:
- Guardrails must be between 38 and 45 inches high.
- Scaffold footings must be level and capable of supporting the loaded scaffold.
- Scaffold components must support at least four times the maximum intended load.
Fall Protection Measures For A Construction Worker in the United States
Not only is it against the law to not provide the proper fall protection measures, but it greatly increases the risk of having injured workers. Many scaffold injuries can be prevented by using the proper protections.
It can include using a safety harness and a guardrail to prevent workers from falling off the sides.
A construction accident attorney from our law offices will guide you through the process and analyze your situation.
How Much is My Chicago Personal Injury Case Worth?
If your scaffolding accident was caused by a negligent third party, such as a general contractor, subcontractor, property owner, manufacturer, or delivery driver, the third party could be held liable for your injuries.
Very often, the benefits of a workers' compensation claim are not enough to relieve the financial burden your injury has caused you or your loved one, which involve medical bills and likely extensive medical treatment in the future for recovery.
After the liability aspects of a scaffolding accident have been established, the personal injury lawyer from our law offices can address damages if the accident was a result of the negligence of a third-party (not their direct employer)
Most Chicago construction injury cases are comprised of economic and non-economic damages.
Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Economic damages are fixed expenses you have incurred or will likely incur in the future. Components of economic damages include medical expenses and lost wages.
Non-economic damages include compensation for intangible losses. In scaffolding accidents involving serious injury, a worker can claim past and future pain, suffering, and disability.
In fatal scaffolding accidents, the deceased worker's family can make a wrongful death claim under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act to recover compensation for their loss of economic and emotional support.
An experienced attorney from our law offices can offer the best legal representation for your personal injuries.
Sample of a Chicago Scaffold Accident Settlement
Our Chicago construction accident lawyers successfully obtained a $4.25 million settlement for the family of a mason who fell 20 feet from a scaffold on the exterior of a factory under construction in Northern Illinois.
Our personal injury attorneys represent families of those injured or killed in scaffolding collapses and other structural accidents to receive the compensation and justice they deserve. We can help you too.
Have You or Your Loved One Been Injured in a Chicago Scaffold Accident? Contact an Accident Lawyer Now
The Chicago scaffolding accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC can handle your scaffold injury case and any other industrial or construction accident cases.
We know how to investigate and prosecute construction injury and workers' compensation cases to determine the responsible parties and hold them fully accountable for your injuries.
The construction accident attorneys at our law offices can help you at all phases of your case, from filing your lawsuit to taking it to trial if necessary. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757.
Our Chicago, IL, scaffolding accident lawyers proudly serve people across Illinois. We handle scaffolding accident cases with top priority. An attorney-client relationship protects all information you share with our legal team.