Steps to Take if You Are Hurt in A Forklift Accident in NY

Forklifts are used in construction and manufacturing industries to lift merchandise and materials, often using pallets that are made to make carrying, transporting, and storing heavy loads faster and more efficient. Heavy duty machinery like this can inflict serious injuries when a construction worker is involved in accident involving one. Although New York Workers’ Compensation can usually cover costs incurred due to the incident, this is not always the case. Having a quality New York forklift accident attorney by your side can make all the difference in the aftermath of the accident and your injuries. Proner & Proner can help make that difference. Contact our offices today for a free evaluation of your New York City forklift accident claim.

Contact Proner & Proner today for professional legal support regarding your forklift accident case.

The Dangers of Forklifts and Heavy Machinery in Construction Zones Around Brooklyn, New York

Being that forklifts are industrial-sized trucks, accidents involving them tend to involve very serious injuries. Heavy and large machinery and construction vehicles are much more dangerous and prone to accidents involving crushing or falling objects. Both of these types of accidents are also classified by the OSHA as part of the “Fatal Four”, which are the most common types of construction accidents to cause serious injury or death.

According to the OSHA, around 85 fatalities and almost 35,000 serious injuries occur each year in the United States. Besides death, the following are a list of possible catastrophic injuries a victim of a forklift accident may deal with:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and concussions
• Debilitating back and spinal injuries,
• Limb loss
• Blunt Trauma
• Paralysis (partial or total)
• Damaged internal organs from crush injuries
• Muscle tears and bone breaks
• Coma

The Four Common Causes of Forklift-Related Accidents on NY Construction Sites

Forklifts are powerful machines capable of lifting anywhere from a standard load of 1,500 – 8,000 pounds all the way up to a whopping 30,000. Like any type of heavy machinery in construction, there are regulations and guidelines on how to operate the vehicle in order to maintain a safe work environment. Despite this, many easily avoidable incidents occur involving forklifts that put workers in serious danger.

The most common four types of forklift accidents, all caused by either incompetence or negligence , are listed as follows:

• The forklift is driven off of a loading dock by accident
• The forklift falls between a loading dock and an adjacent, unsecured trailer
• A worker is hit or run over by a forklift
• A workers falls when materials or the fork itself is lifted

New York Workers’ Comp and Construction Worker Insurance

Injured workers often end up financially strained due to loss of work hours and wages due to recovering and racking up medical bills that may or may not be covered by insurance. Families that lose a loved one also have other costs such as funeral costs and non-monetary emotional strain due to grief and mourning. New York Workers Compensation is in place to cover such incidents, however, they do not always fully cover all the costs incurred from the accident.

When workman’s comp does not cover all of your costs and there was negligence or safety violations involved in the crane construction accident, you may be able to sue for coverage of these remaining costs. The lawyers at Proner & Proner can help with this by gathering crucial evidence and doing a thorough investigation regarding the incident. They can also assist you with showing and proving the full extent of the financial and emotional costs incurred by the accident.

Steps You Can Take After Your Forklift Accident in New York City

If you are the victim of a forklift accident in New York, you may want to know what you can do after the incident in order to recover from the incident and get the most financial compensation possible. It is important to keep detailed records, make official reports to the right people, and be thorough and timely with all medical treatments.

Important steps to take after a crane-related construction accident:

• Seek immediate medical treatment for any injury or medical issue resulting from the accident, regardless of severity. (Money can be lost via a claim by the provider that an injury was worsened due to a worker’s own negligence in seeking medical care in a timely manner)
• Report the incident immediately to a manager or foreman.
• Take pictures of the incident and your injuries when able.
• Keep a detailed medical journal and save all receipts and documents involving your injuries and medical treatment process.
• Keep records of any other issues that result in financial or emotional strain. (Loss of job promotion opportunities, counselling costs, pain and suffering, costs incurred due to babysitting or family members having to care for children, loss of intimacy, etc.)

Contact Proner & Proner Today for a Free Consultation Regarding Your Forklift Accident Case in NYC

Getting hurt on the job and being out of work can be stressful and scary for anyone. When adding in serious medical costs, this only worsens the financial strain. The attorneys at Proner & Proner can work together with you, help you with a Workman’s Comp claim, and sometimes even help you sue for full coverage when needed. Don’t let a forklift accident leave you in pain and out of a paycheck. Contact us online today for a free initial consultation and get the legal advisement you need. We have offices in New York, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and throughout the state of New York. We have also represented clients suffering accidents throughout the United States.