What should I know about scaffolding accident injuries?

Personal Injury Lawyer Fort Lauderdale, FL

Any injury can cause physical pain, and also be mentally and emotionally exhausting. The injured person and their loved ones can be affected and experience numerous feelings as well as significant financial burdens. Injuries are generally the result of an accident which can occur from an unlimited number of ways. Some are sheerly accidental, but for about 50% of all injuries, negligence was a factor. When this is true, it is important to get advice from a personal injury lawyer.

In the U.S. there is an estimated 10,000 scaffolding injuries every year. Many of these injuries are suffered by people working on them, and also walking by them. Whether you were working on scaffolding or walking past, if you were injured, you may be entitled to compensation.

Depending on the circumstances, different laws may apply. For this reason you should retain a lawyer who understands personal injury law, construction law, and also workers compensation law.

What You Should Do After a Scaffolding Injury

Following a scaffolding injury, you should take the following steps:

  1. Get medical attention immediately. Make sure you report all of your injuries to the doctor so they are addressed and included in your medical records.
  2. Notify your employer, if you were an employee of the construction site or scaffolding company. If you were a passer-byer you may want to notify your insurance company.
  3. Do not talk with any insurance companies, but your own.
  4. Do not take any fault for the accident.
  5. Call a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Every state has their own laws pertaining to scaffolding accidents and what the scaffolding company is expected to do. You should get advice from a local lawyer who has handled scaffolding injury cases.

Why Scaffolding Accidents Happen

A scaffolding accident can happen for many reasons, including:

  • Unsecure scaffolding
  • Careless construction of the scaffolding
  • Poor material
  • Damaged material
  • Missing brakes
  • Malfunctioning brakes
  • Insufficient maintenance
  • Lack of safety instructions
  • Third party failure
  • Falling object (particularly for passer-byers)

It is also possible for weather conditions to cause a scaffold accidents. For example, high winds and high precipitation can cause slippery, unstable surfaces. It is also possible to get blown off the scaffolding, especially if the worker is not wearing a harness (which is mandated on heights over 10 feet, but might be ignored).

Depending on the state you are in, any injuries that happen while working may offer you compensation for medical bills and missed work days. For those who were passing by and injured by a falling scaffold or object that was on the scaffold, they may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and more.

Whether you are recovering workers compensation or damages in a personal injury claim, it is important to collect as much evidence as possible. In general, when you’re filing a personal injury claim with your personal injury lawyer Fort Lauderdale, FL relies on from Needle & Ellenberg, P.A., you will need to prove that someone else was at fault, and their negligence caused you harm. In the case of an injured worker, workers compensation should cover your financial losses regardless of who was at fault. If it found that a third party caused a worker to become injured, a separate personal injury claim might be pursued (i.e. product defect).