Crane Accidents

Cranes are important pieces of construction machinery that workers use to hoist, lower, and move materials too heavy to transport with human power. Cranes have been around since their invention by the ancient Greeks – and have likely caused serious injuries since their inception. Many things can go wrong with cranes, from collapses and rollovers to snapped hoist ropes and dropped loads. Injuries involving construction cranes are often catastrophic, resulting in permanent disability or death to the victim. If your Georgia construction injury or the passing of a loved one involved a crane, the attorneys at Butler Prather LLP want to hear from you.

Common Types of Crane Accidents (and Potential Liability)

Crane accident investigations almost always find negligence-based reasons for disasters. Employers often don’t address important safety standard violations, such as failure to stabilize truck-mounted cranes and failure to properly inspect the equipment. In other cases, incompetent and unqualified workers cause negligence-related accidents – often due to lax hiring and training procedures. Here are a few common reasons for construction crane accidents in Georgia:

Carelessness during operations. Workers can easily cause crane accidents by running the crane into a power line, overturning cranes, dropping loads, and incorrect use of the outrigger. Cranes are dangerous pieces of heavy machinery that require the utmost care during operation. It is a construction company’s duty to properly train workers to use cranes before letting them operate the equipment.
Machinery defects. Some crane accidents result from equipment failures and part defects. Rigging failures, boom collapse, and dropped loads can all occur when a part of the crane fails. Issues with the crane can turn deadly when workers are under the equipment or the load. These cases may take the form of product liability claims if the manufacturer is responsible for the defective product.
Failure to maintain equipment. Construction companies and site managers must keep machinery maintained at all times. Lack of equipment maintenance and regular inspections can lead to tragedy when the machinery fails. It is the company’s responsibility to warn workers not to use cranes that are in a state of disrepair due to poor maintenance.

Cases involving poorly trained, incompetent, or careless workers may come down to employer liability. Employers are liable for the actions of their employees while at work. If an investigation discovers inadequate training or hiring practices, such as hiring an unqualified person to operate a crane, injured parties may be able to sue the construction company for negligence. Talk to an attorney for help identifying the defendant in your crane accident case.

Did You Suffer Catastrophic Injuries in a Crane Accident?

In most crane accident cases, worker injuries are catastrophic. This means that injuries resulted in chronic pain, permanent disability, scarring, or disfigurement. More severe ailments such as spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries can lead to lifelong effects such as paralysis, cognitive difficulties, and a reduced quality of life. Others like crush injuries and amputations can leave a construction worker permanently disabled. In many cases, workers never fully recover from their injuries – resulting in devastated families and severely reduced workforce ability. If you suffered catastrophic injury or you know of a loved one who died because of a crane incident, seek counsel from an attorney.

Do not rule out negligence after injuries involving a crane until you’ve spoken with the lawyers at Butler Prather LLP. Our team has helped dozens of construction workers and their families recover just and fair compensation for life-changing injuries and wrongful death. We can investigate your workplace accident and help you understand your rights as a victim. The sooner you talk to a lawyer, the sooner you can start the process toward receiving a fair recovery amount. Contact us today for a free consultation in Atlanta.