Heavy Machinery Accident Lawyers Assisting Clients with Claims for Equipment and Machinery Injuries in Monmouth County, Ocean County, and across New Jersey
Unless preventive measures are implemented, there’s a high risk of getting injured while operating heavy machinery in New Jersey. Equipment that can be classified as heavy machinery is extremely complex equipment that is necessary to complete big construction jobs involving structures and objects that cannot be moved by any amount of men. These machines make it possible for skyscrapers to exist. Equipment such as this can be cranes, backhoes, back loaders, bulldozers, forklifts and the like. More often than not, the operators of heavy machinery or heavy equipment is required to have special licensing and undergo particular training in order to operate this equipment. As a result, these operators are often earning more compensation than their co-workers as a result of their special training, certification and/or licensing acquired.
Top Causes of Heavy Machinery Accidents
Common accidents with heavy machinery include slipping and falling when entering or exiting the equipment. Having large loads dropped on the worker from high above is also a common accident. Sometimes workers can even be crushed or have a body part crushed between two pieces of heavy equipment.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration have ranked slip and fall accidents as they relate to heavy machinery at the top of their list of construction fatality causes. Most of the time these slip and fall accidents occur when the operator or worker is entering or exiting the heavy machinery.
Leading Examples of Heavy Equipment Injuries
Heavy machinery, by its very nature, can be extremely dangerous. Any accidents involving heavy machinery can likely lead to serious head trauma, serious spinal injury, and even death. Other accidental injuries can even lead to electrocution, being crushed, being struck, and falling. Falling can be extremely dangerous when there are heavy pieces of machinery around. Amputated body parts are often associated with heavy machinery injuries. Obviously, the most severe common injury associated with heavy machinery is death. Many times, though, workers suffer broken bones, amputations, and traumatic brain injuries.
Preventative Measures to Avoid Injuries Related to Heavy Machinery
OSHA exists for a reason. OSHA is a governmental agency that sets forth standard procedures in order for employers to prevent the amount of injury and seriousness of injuries in and around their worksite. A common procedure is to ensure that all operators are properly trained. Even more so, employers must take proper precautions, such as making sure that all heavy machinery and heavy equipment is operating properly. There must be proper safeguards in place when heavy machinery is involved. Without proper safeguards, it is more likely that a serious injury will occur. When heavy machinery malfunctions due to the heavy machinery not being properly maintained, the employer can be liable for negligence.
Workplace Accidents Involving Heavy Machinery Operation in NJ
Common workplace accidents involving very heavy machinery often mean that the equipment has malfunctioned, has not been properly maintained, the operator is not properly trained, the conditions have not been cleared to work in, or there was another form of negligence conducted by co-workers, subcontractors, and/or the employer. This can happen, for example, when a load is not properly loaded on the piece of machinery, there was a skid steer accident, the hydraulics on the machinery malfunctioned, the machine electrically malfunctioned, the ground was not properly dried, or the working conditions were still unsafe.
Types of Compensation for Those Injured in Heavy Equipment Accidents
There are various forms of compensation that can be awarded to any injured parties. Common forms of compensation include medical care and expenses, loss of earning capacity or lost wages, pain and suffering as a result of the accident, and/or quality of life compensation. Sometimes, when gross negligence has been found by the court, the court may order punitive damages to be paid to the injured party. Punitive damages are issued by the court as a deterrent and as a punishment to those who have conducted negligence willfully and have caused severe, extreme injury or damage to the injured party as a result of their behavior.
Seek Assistance from Accomplished Freehold Heavy Machinery Accident Attorneys
Hiring an attorney skilled in workers’ compensation and personal injury law in New Jersey to handle your heavy machinery case, specifically one who has taken on cases such as this before is absolutely imperative to ensure that you are being rewarded the most compensation available. Your lawyer is supposed to convey to the court that the employer, manufacturer, contractor, etc., was negligent and that their negligence was a direct cause of your injury. This is what our legal team does on a regular basis for injured workers and other individuals in Asbury Park, Holmdel, Rumson, Freehold, Point Pleasant, Toms River, Long Branch, Colts Neck, and across Ocean and Monmouth County.
First, we will determine who we must sue, then show how their negligent behavior was the only cause of your accident and resulting injuries. If they fell below the OSHA standards, our experienced attorneys will use that in our argument to the court. Once we show that the defendant’s negligence caused your injury, whether it be a third party, like a product manufacturer or someone connected to your job site, we will ask for whatever compensation is required to make you whole. Contact our office at (732) 303-7857 or contact us online to discuss your heavy machinery accident case in a free consultation.
