SAN DIEGO ATTORNEYS FOR MACHINE & EQUIPMENT INJURIES
When you work around heavy machinery, the potential hazards are limitless. Exposed wiring can result in electric shock. If a removable guard is missing, a worker may lose a finger. Clothing can easily get caught between moving parts and cause serious injury or even death. Working with defective machinery and equipment can also be catastrophic. Whether you’re employed in construction injuries, industrial accidents, agriculture, or logging, machinery accidents can happen no matter how careful you are to avoid them. When they do, a workers’ comp attorney can help you file for benefits that will pay for your recovery.
At The Law Office of Matthew Russell, our workers’ comp attorneys provide aggressive legal representation to employees who have suffered machine injuries on the job. Eligible workers can collect benefits that will provide payment for all related medical expenses and lost wages. Additional compensation may be available for machinery accidents that result in permanent disability.
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COMMON MACHINERY ACCIDENTS IN THE WORKPLACE
The list of machinery injuries that can occur on the job is long and grizzly. Unfortunately, these injuries are also extremely common. Improper use of machinery and machine guarding were among the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in 2018. Machines without protective guards put workers at risk for body parts getting caught in between or struck by moving parts. Workers can suffer crushed hands and arms, severed fingers, blindness, and death.
There are countless ways heavy machinery can cause injuries in the workplace; the following represent the most common:
COLLAPSES
These machine accidents commonly occur on construction sites where cranes are used. Crane collapses happen when a machine buckles under the weight of its cargo and crashes to the ground, posing a deadly danger to employees working below.
ROLLOVERS
When a machine loses balance and topples over, it can seriously injure or kill the operator. These machine accidents are common in agriculture; tractor rollovers are the leading cause of injury and death in farming jobs. Rollovers can happen if the ground is unstable or the machine is poorly maintained.
COLLISIONS
OSHA standards prohibit operators from leaving machines running and unattended. Yet, it happens all the time. Collisions can occur when a driver loses control or leaves a machine running when not in use, leading to a worker being run over or pinned against a hard surface.
MALFUNCTIONS
Machines can malfunction for many different reasons, and the consequences can be disastrous. Operating a poorly maintained machine or a machine loaded beyond its capacity can result in loss of control or heavy items dropped on workers below.
MACHINE INJURIES CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
By filing a workers’ compensation claim, you release your employer from legal responsibility for your machinery accident. This means you cannot sue your employer for your injuries. However, if your workplace injury was caused by defective machinery, you may be able to file a third-party personal injury claim against the manufacturer of the faulty equipment. This is a separate claim from workers’ compensation and will not create any delays in receiving your benefits. The best way to find out if a third-party personal injury claim is available to you is to contact a workers’ compensation attorney.
HAVE YOU SUFFERED A MACHINERY ACCIDENT AT WORK?
At The Law Office of Matthew Russell, we specialize in representing workers who have been injured on the job. If serious, a machinery accident can change your life in an instant, causing permanent disfigurement and impairing your ability to work and earn a living. Our workers’ comp attorneys have more than four decades of experience representing workers injured in machinery accidents and guiding them through the workers’ compensation process. Give us a call to see what we can do for you.