Construction Accident Amputations in MA
Choosing an Experienced Boston Construction Accident Lawyer
Construction sites bring together a powerful combination of motorized machinery and heavy materials such as steel and cement. Without proper training and supervision, construction accidents can occur and result in wrongful death or serious personal injury.
One of the most severe injuries is amputation. It can happen suddenly, when a worker is crushed by a heavy beam, cut by machinery, falls from a building or is struck in a construction vehicle accident. Electrocution is another cause of workplace amputations. An employee can lose one or several of his limbs and be left confined to a wheelchair.
An amputation is a devastating loss that takes a long period of adjustment for the individual and his family and friends. The individual will have to re-assess his daily routine and may need multiple surgeries over the course of his life. Making this even harder is the medical bills that quickly pile up in the weeks following an accident.
Workers' compensation can pay for some of the medical bills and lost earnings, but it does not cover the life changes one must handle after an amputation. If you have been injured on a construction site, the property owner, the general contractor or a sub-contractor may be liable for any injuries sustained. You may be able to recover damages for future earnings, pain and suffering, medical expenses and other compensation.
Here are some examples of amputation cases that our attorneys have handled:
--The plaintiff worked for a hazardous waste company, which had been contracted to remove PCBs from old transformers located in the electrical vault of an old aircraft hangar. The transformers had been disconnected and the building was undergoing demolition. Incredibly, the overhead bus duct was still energized with 4,100 volts. When the plaintiff used the overhead conductor to balance while he closed the transformer, he was severely electrocuted. Among other injuries, his arm was so badly burned, it had to be amputated close to his shoulder.
--The plaintiff, a steel worker at a construction site, had his right foot and ankle crushed by a Lull (large forklift on wheels for rough terrain operation) which was operated by a co-employee. Plaintiff and the co-employee were moving steel joists. The co-employee disregarded a hand signal from plaintiff and turned in the wrong direction, running him over. The injuries were so severe that the plaintiff required a below-the-knee amputation which permanently disabled him from work. He was 46-years old when the accident occurred. Read the trial report.
In addition to construction accidents, our attorneys have handled amputation cases arising from defective workplace machinery, including a defective punch press and defective packaging equipment.
As with other personal injury cases, your case deserves immediate investigation to document conditions, to photograph machines and other objects, to identify witnesses, and to preserve vital evidence. If necessary, suit can be filed immediately to obtain orders for injunctive relief to prevent destruction or loss of important evidence.
Contact Breakstone, White & Gluck in Boston today
The Boston construction accident lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck have over 100 years combined experience handling cases involving Massachusetts workplace injuries involving construction equipment accidents and crane accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact us today.