Crushing injuries are often caused by the careless conduct of others at the workplace. These catastrophic injuries are often born of forklift accidents, motor vehicle collisions, contact with poorly maintained machinery, or working with equipment that has not been fitted with safety guards. In fact, many crush injuries involving industrial equipment defects are preventable. The installation of properly fitted safety guards would stop fingers, hands, and arms from being caught in the moving parts of the machines.
Other causes of crush injuries are dropped objects, warehouse injuries, farm equipment accidents, and collapsing or falling construction materials at the jobsite.
Common Types of Crush Injuries
Any type of crushing injury is serious and may result in permanent debilitation – and in the worst instances, death. Broken bones, bleeding, bruising, nerve, muscle, and ligament damage are all common components of crush injuries. The most serious injuries include scarring and disfigurement, amputation, secondary infections, crush injury syndrome, compartment syndrome, paralysis, and Traumatic brain injury at Chicago.
Legal Action
Depending on the circumstances surrounding the injury, legal options will vary. Nevertheless, these types of injuries are usually far too serious for the injured party to initiate legal action without the assistance of experienced crush injury accident lawyer. Legal parameters including damage caps analysis, subrogation, and the negotiation of compensation for future life care all require the skills of a knowledgeable attorney.
Compensation
A victim of a crushing injury may be left with temporary or permanent disfigurement or damage. Initial medical treatment may be just the beginning. Reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, and life-long medication may be required. The injured party may be unable to work for weeks, or even months. Some victims are never able to return to a job that requires them to be at full physical capacity.
Worker’s compensation insurance is often insufficient when it comes to fully compensating a victim of a crush injury. Depending on several factors, the case may not be limited to the worker’s compensation payout. In some cases, other directly responsible parties may be held liable if they contributed to the accident. For example, gross employer negligence may be proven if safety equipment has been intentionally removed, or a product liability claim may be filed if the accident is a result of defective equipment.
Shea Law Group
If you or someone close to you has suffered a crush injury and require legal assistance, reach out to one of our crush injury accident attorneys from Shea Law Group. While we can’t accept every case, we are dedicated to providing answers and advice to every client. Reach out to us at (877)-365-0040 to book your free, no-obligation consultation today.