Forklift Injury Attorney
Construction work is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous occupations. A lot of the risk involved with this line of work is related to the equipment and machinery that construction workers use on a regular basis. For instance, forklift accidents are a leading cause of injury among construction workers.
When accidents take place at work, individuals are often unsure about the type of compensation they are due. The forklift injury attorneys and construction accident attorneys at Zucker and Regev, P.C. help workers in the Brooklyn, NY, area determine who is liable for forklift accident injuries, and how much compensation they may be due for related damages.
Types of Forklift Accidents
Forklifts are often essential in the field of construction and in industrial settings. They allow heavy loads to be carried across various types of terrain, cutting back on the time and effort needed to transport materials. Unfortunately, forklift accidents are not uncommon, and they can cause a lot of damage. The most common types of forklift accidents include:
- Forklift rollovers
- Pedestrian impacts (the forklift collides with a worker on foot)
- Falling loads
- Falls to lower levels (the forklift falls off a dock or trailer)
- Personnel fall (a worker falls from the platform of the forklift)
- Crushing accident
Forklift Injuries
Forklifts do not look very large or threatening, but they can cause severe injuries in the event of an accident. Forklifts can weigh up to 9,000 pounds (almost three times heavier than the average car), and they can travel up to 18mph. Given these numbers, it is no surprise that being hit, crushed, or trapped by a forklift can result in a wide range of painful injuries, including:
- Broken bones
- Internal organ damage
- Head or neck injury
- Traumatic spinal cord injury
- Loss of limb
In the most catastrophic cases, forklift accidents can even result in fatalities.
Forklift Injuries and Workers’ Compensation
If a forklift accident takes place at work, injury victims should be due compensation through workers’ comp insurance, regardless of who or what caused the accident. Depending on the severity of accident injuries, Brooklyn workers may be eligible for these workers’ compensation benefits:
- Medical benefits (to pay for all medical-related expenses)
- Temporary partial disability benefits (to make up for lost income related to partial disability)
- Temporary total disability benefits (to make up for lost income related to total disability)
- Permanent partial disability benefits (to compensate for the total and permanent loss of function of specific parts of the body)
- Death benefits (to compensate surviving family members for funeral and burial expenses and lost income, in the event of a death)
Am I Due Additional Damages?
Often workers’ compensation is the only means of financial compensation for on-the-job injuries. However, if a third-party is responsible for a forklift accident, then a personal injury lawsuit may be filed to recover additional compensation for losses not covered by workers’ compensation, such as pain and suffering.
Depending on the details of the accident, third-parties that may be held liable for forklift injury damages include:
- A contract worker
- A forklift operator employed by a different company
- A mechanic or parts manufacturer
- The landowner where construction work is being performed
Our Brooklyn attorneys carefully consider the details of a forklift accident so that we can pursue all potential avenues of compensation for our clients.
Contact Us
Forklift accidents can result in a wide range of economic and non-economic losses, and it is important that injury victims are justly compensated for damages. To find out how the attorneys at Zucker & Regev, P.C. can be of assistance to you in the aftermath of a forklift accident, contact our law firm online, or call us at (718) 624-1211.