Cranes are routinely used at construction sites, and you may overlook them as potential dangers in the area. However, in negligent hands, these massive machines can cause catastrophic injuries to construction workers and passersby.
Cranes are heavy equipment, and the injuries they inflict can be devastating. If you sustain injuries in a crane-related accident while operating one or working on a construction site, you may claim workers’ compensation. You may also meet the requirements for a construction accident attorney to file a negligence lawsuit against the party or company that caused your injuries. A West Jordan crane accident lawyer at Kramer Injury Law could investigate your case and help you understand your options.
What Causes Common Crane Accidents?
Cranes are either static or mobile. Static cranes remain in fixed locations, such as on a building under construction, while operators drive mobile cranes that move on wheels or treads throughout the construction site. Crane operators lift and move tons of material above the heads of others, so they must be diligent, trained, and alert. Common crane accidents include:
- Defective crane parts
- Improper crane rigging
- Loads falling from a great height
- Errors by untrained crane operators
- A crane overturning during operation
- Failure to implement and communicate safety protocols
While an improperly trained crane operator may be the negligent party who caused your injury, the construction company may be vicariously liable. An experienced attorney could assess your crane accident case during a complimentary consultation in West Jordan and strategize with you about the best way forward.
Proving Negligence in Crane Accidents
Our attorneys could seek evidence when reviewing your crane accident. When warranted, we could dispatch skilled and licensed private investigators to the site to reconstruct what happened. We could help you negotiate an insurance settlement, and we are also well-regarded for our trial work in negligence cases involving commercial trucks and massive machinery, including cranes.
Proving negligence entails assessing the duty the at-fault party had to you and others. That duty generally involves competently operating dangerous machinery so that others in the vicinity are safe. The at-fault party breaches that duty when they behave below the reasonable standard, which is how a responsible person in a similar situation would behave. If someone’s substandard behavior causes a foreseeable accident and injures you, you have the right to compensation.
Compensation awarded in a lawsuit may include:
- Lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
You may also seek non-economic damages, such as emotional trauma, disfigurement, pain, and permanent disability.
If you have questions, a lawyer from Kramer Injury Law is available to clients across Salt Lake County. Your initial strategy session with a West Jordan attorney is free because we want you to be comfortable with the process and know what to expect after a crane accident.
Modified Comparative Negligence
Under Utah’s modified comparative negligence law, Utah Code § 78B-5-818, a plaintiff can still recover damages if they are no more than 50 percent responsible for an accident. The award matches the defendant’s percentage of guilt. For example, if you are trespassing at a job site and a crane operator injures you due to negligent behavior such as speeding, you and the defendant share a percentage of guilt. The jury may award you $100,000, but it may assign 20 percent of the blame to you for trespassing. You would then receive 80 percent of $100,000, or $80,000. A lawyer experienced in crane accidents could guide you through the complexities of modified comparative negligence in West Jordan.
Reach Out to a West Jordan Attorney Experienced in Crane Accidents
The sheer size of a crane and the way it operates, moving masses of debris above the heads of others, makes it dangerous. If a crane operator injures you due to reckless behavior, it is time to call a West Jordan crane accident lawyer at Kramer Injury Law. We could advocate for you in insurance settlement negotiations and in the courtroom.
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