Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
Crane accidents can cause serious injuries when loads fall, equipment collapses, or workers are struck by moving materials. Shulman & Hill has recovered over $1 billion for injured New Yorkers. A crane accident lawyer in Staten Island can review what caused the incident and which claims may apply.
Construction workers may qualify for workers’ compensation and, in some cases, a separate claim against another company. A Staten Island workers’ compensation lawyer can examine your job duties, medical records, site conditions, and the businesses involved in the project.
Medical bills and missed paychecks can begin soon after the accident. Our team can explain your options and help with the claim process. Contact Shulman & Hill today for a free consultation.
How Crane Accidents Happen
Construction sites may have several contractors working around cranes, hoists, heavy materials, and moving equipment. Problems with setup, rigging, signaling, inspection, or operation can cause a load to fall or equipment to become unstable.
A Staten Island personal injury lawyer can review whether a contractor, property owner, crane company, maintenance provider, or another outside party contributed to the incident. That review can help identify claims separate from workers’ compensation.
Common causes include the following:
- Improper crane setup
- Overloaded or unstable lifts
- Unsafe rigging
- Poor communication between workers
- Mechanical or maintenance problems
- Outrigger instability
- Contact with electrical lines
- Inadequate site supervision
Photos, reports, video, and equipment records may help establish what happened before the accident.
Injuries Often Seen After a Crane Incident
Crane accidents can cause life-changing injuries because of the force, weight, and height involved. You may suffer harm from being struck by materials, pinned between objects, thrown from equipment, or caught in a collapse zone.
Many injured people face long recovery periods and may not be able to return to the same work. In the most serious cases, families are left dealing with a fatal construction accident and sudden financial pressure.
Common injuries include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, internal injuries, crush injuries, burns, and amputations. Even when injuries seem manageable at first, complications can appear later and affect your ability to earn a living.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Injured Workers
Workers’ compensation may provide benefits when an employee suffers an injury during work. You generally do not need to prove that your employer caused the crane accident to pursue workers’ compensation benefits.
Benefits may include the following:
- Medical treatment for the work injury
- Partial wage replacement
- Temporary disability benefits
- Benefits for certain permanent impairments
- Reimbursement for qualifying medical travel
- Death benefits for eligible family members
Workers’ compensation does not generally provide damages for pain and suffering. A separate third-party claim may provide additional recovery when someone outside your employer contributed to the accident.
When You May Have a Third-Party Claim
Construction projects can involve property owners, general contractors, subcontractors, crane operators, rental companies, and maintenance businesses. The company responsible for an unsafe condition may not be your employer.
A third-party claim could arise when another contractor creates a dangerous work area, a crane company performs careless maintenance, or another business controls work that contributes to the accident.
A Staten Island crane accident attorney can review contracts, work assignments, inspection records, and site documents to determine which companies had responsibilities connected to the crane operation.
Evidence That Can Strengthen Your Case
Crane accident investigations may depend on records that are controlled by contractors or other businesses. Requesting that information early can help preserve evidence before equipment is moved, repaired, or returned to service.
Useful evidence may include the following:
- Incident reports
- Crane inspection records
- Maintenance logs
- Rigging records
- Training documents
- Site photographs and video
- Witness statements
- Work schedules
- Medical records
Information about the crane operator, signal workers, rigging crew, and companies supervising the lift may also help establish how the incident occurred.
Staten Island Construction Sites and Liability Issues
Construction work in Staten Island can involve multiple companies on one project, each with different duties and safety obligations. That can make it harder to tell who is legally responsible after a crane collapse or lifting accident.
In some cases, liability may involve a property owner, general contractor, subcontractor, crane rental company, maintenance company, or manufacturer. The facts matter, and more than one party may share responsibility.
A Staten Island crane accident lawyer can review those relationships and determine whether labor law claims, negligence claims, or product-related issues may apply. Early review is helpful because site conditions and records can change quickly after an accident.
Compensation in a Third-Party Injury Claim
A third-party claim can address losses that workers’ compensation does not cover. The available damages depend on the injuries, financial losses, and evidence connected to the accident.
Compensation may include medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning ability, future treatment costs, and pain and suffering. Serious injuries may also create lasting restrictions that prevent a worker from returning to the same occupation.
A third-party case and a workers’ compensation claim can arise from the same crane accident. Each follows different rules and may provide different forms of financial recovery.
How Long You Have to Take Action
New York workers generally should provide written notice of a workplace injury to their employer within 30 days. A workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed with the Workers’ Compensation Board within two years of the accident.
A separate personal injury lawsuit against a private third party generally has a three-year filing period. Different timelines can apply when a government agency or another type of public entity is involved.
Site evidence may disappear well before those filing dates. Equipment can be repaired or moved, surveillance footage may be erased, and workers may leave the project. Early investigation gives your legal team more time to preserve useful information.
Speak With Shulman & Hill About Your Next Steps
A crane accident may involve workers’ compensation, several construction companies, site records, and serious injuries. Reviewing each part of the project can help identify which claims may be available.
Shulman & Hill brings more than 200 years of combined legal experience to injury cases across New York. A crane accident lawyer in Staten Island can review your medical records, work duties, site evidence, and the companies involved in the accident.
Contact Shulman & Hill today for a free consultation.
