Construction cranes of high-rise residential buildings in the big city, view of the evening sky

Crane Accidents and Construction Injuries

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Crane Accidents and Construction Injuries 1 Wrongful Death South Florida Injury Law Firm

 

Imagine sleeping soundly in bed and then a loud crashing crane comes through your roof.
It was a scene that happened this week in North Miami Beach, where a crane that was being used to repair a seawall slid off a barge and struck the roof of a condominium building.

“I was very lucky because that crane was in front of my apartment two days ago.” said by C. Spetsiotas, a resident of the condo.

 

Eight units of the building are now off-limits while structural engineers assess the safety of the building. The U.S. Coast Guard is also investigating, along with OSHA

Crane accidents have happened in the past, with unfortunately worse outcomes. In Hallandale Beach, a 27 year old was killed when a crane toppled over.  One man died and two others were left injured in Hollywood when the scaffolding collapsed.

 

Causes of Construction Accidents

 

Florida construction sites are littered with hazards at every turn. To execute dangerous tasks that these projects require, heavy construction equipment and tools are used, many of which are performed at great heights and under extremely hazardous conditions.

Although federal and state laws that require employers to maintain a safe workplace, some do not. There are instances where contractors take shortcuts to turnaround projects faster and reduce expenses, posing a risk to people who work on the sites and the local pedestrians.

 

Some common causes of construction accidents include:

 

  • Cranes, ladders and fixtures falling from buildings and walls
  • Toxic substance exposure
  • Defective construction and tool equipment
  • Improper use of equipment
  • Improper or insufficient training
  • Misuse of tools and other equipment
  • Poor safety precautions and oversight

 

 

Construction Site Safety and Your Rights

Crane Accidents and Construction Injuries 3 Wrongful Death South Florida Injury Law Firm

Safety measures on construction sites are supposed to be followed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.  There are clear standards for cranes, crane operations, crane training, fall protection, scaffolding, ladders, hazard communication, machinery, and many other aspects of a construction site project and operations. A party’s failure to abide by OSHA standards may be evidence of negligence if that failure caused an accident.

If you or someone you know have suffered any construction related injuries, or others that are not listed, compensation may be awarded and should contact our experienced Florida construction accident lawyers at South Florida Injury Law Firm today to discuss your legal options with our Free Case Review

Also, you may be entitled to recover more money than a workers’ compensation claim alone could provide. You may also have claims for medical bills, pain and suffering, permanent limitations and past and future lost earnings.

Because of the numerous contractors, subcontractors and other parties often involved in construction sites, it can be difficult to determine exactly who should be held responsible for your injuries or the death of a loved one.

 

 

 

Types of Available Compensation

 

Workers’ Compensation
Almost every employer is required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. These benefits can help an injured worker cover medical expenses and lost wages and are available to a worker regardless of the circumstances surrounding an accident that causes injury.

 

Personal Injury
Although a worker cannot file an injury lawsuit against their employer, it may be possible to file a claim against a third party whose negligent actions led to your injury. A personal injury claim is also available to non-workers who are injured on a construction site.

 

Product Liability
If a defective product caused your injuries, it may be possible to bring a claim against the manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler of that product.

 

Wrongful Death
If you have lost a loved one in a construction accident, you may be entitled to file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for your loss.

 

 

Construction Related Accident and Injury Help

 

With decades of experience handling these types of complex cases, our South Florida Injury Law Firm construction accident lawyers have the skills and the resources needed to conduct a thorough investigation. You can rely on us to put your interests first and will work to help you recover the maximum compensation you are entitled.

 

Schedule a free consultation by calling (954) 488-JEFF (Fort Lauderdale), (954) 488-JEFF (Boca Raton & West Palm Beach), or 877-566-8759 (toll-free). You can also fill out this online form to set up your case evaluation. We’re a dedicated team of personal injury lawyers who work on a contingency basis and will take your calls at any time, on any day of the week.

Boca Raton Accident Lawyer

Teen Killed After Being Ejected from Fair

by Wrongful Death

Boca Raton Accident Lawyer
Picture this: your teenager is hanging out with his friends at the local fair, joking around and just being a kid. Despite not doing anything wrong, police and fair officials pay extra attention to him and his friends, seemingly waiting for them to misbehave. After a melee that your son was not involved in, he’s detained by the sheriff’s department, kicked out of the fair, and told to get moving.

 

An 8th-grade honor student, your son isn’t one to push back against authority, so that’s exactly what he does. Unfortunately, his route on foot forces him to cross four lanes of Interstate 4 traffic, and one car just doesn’t see him in time. He’s struck and killed almost immediately, and you’re left to mourn and wonder how something like this could have happened.

 

This is exactly what Andrew and Deanna Joseph are going through right now – every parent’s worst nightmare. Day-to-day living is tough. But celebrations like the holidays are worse because those are the times you cherish the most, and now your child won’t get to enjoy them anymore.

 

Possibly the worst part for the Josephs is knowing their child wouldn’t have been anywhere near that highway if he hadn’t been targeted at the fair and unjustly ejected. Because of this, they’ve decided to sue the Florida State Fair Authority and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for civil rights violations and wrongful death.

 

Which begs the question: do the actions of the Fair Authority and Sheriff’s Office constitute wrongful death?

 

What Does Wrongful Death Mean in Florida?

 

Boca Raton Wrongful Death Attorney

If you look at the letter of the law for Florida wrongful death, it’s tough to say definitively whether or not the Josephs should win their case. The statute says that a wrongful death occurs:

 

“When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person…and the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued, the person or watercraft that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony.”

 

There seem to be ways to argue the first part. The fair ejecting their son could be construed as a “wrongful act” and arguably constituted “negligence” since they were sending a 14-year-old off on his own without any adult supervision. Doing this led to him crossing the highway and getting hit by a car.

 

The part where it gets a bit dicey is at the very end: “death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony.” Meeting this part of the law would seem to require a charge of culpable negligence and hinge to a large degree on the ability to show that officials were acting inappropriately when they sent away a minor.

 

Is it possible to prove something like this in a wrongful death case? Yes. Is it easy? No.

 

That’s why it is so important to consult with an experienced wrongful death attorney if you believe that someone else should be held liable for the death of your loved one. Only someone who has successfully handled these types of cases before can offer you the insight you need – both in deciding to pursue or drop the case and in coming up with a strategy to help you win.

 

Nothing can bring back the person that you’ve lost, but winning a wrongful death lawsuit can help you to find closure, get back on your feet financially, and enact change so no one else has to go through this again.

 

Transportation Workers: Most Exposed to Injury and Death

by Auto AccidentsPersonal Injury Lawyer

A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that auto accidents kill more than 40,000 people every year in the United States. Among them, people who drive for a living – truckers, school bus drivers, and cab drivers – are the most exposed to injury and death. Here we take a look at some alarming statistics regarding fatal work injuries caused by transportation incidents.