Boston Ladder Accident Attorney
Working on a ladder can be dangerous. A scaffolding or ladder accident can result in multiple serious injuries. Workers’ compensation may not be the only source of compensation for your injuries and financial losses.
The Boston ladder accident lawyers of Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP investigates accidents on construction sites to determine your legal options. Before you assume you have no recourse to recover compensation, get the facts from a trusted personal injury lawyer in Boston, MA.
Our legal team has over 100 years of combined experience handling personal injury claims. Contact our law firm today to schedule your free consultation with an experienced Boston construction accident attorney.
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How Our Boston Personal Injury Lawyers Help Construction Workers Recover Compensation for Ladder Accidents
With a century of combined experience to draw upon, our Boston personal injury attorneys work with you to determine how your accident occurred. We identify all legal avenues for compensation to maximize your chance of recovering the best settlement for your injury claim.
When you hire our legal team at Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP, you can expect us to:
- Develop a productive attorney-client relationship
- Conduct a full and complete accident investigation
- Identify all parties who might be liable for your claim
- Gather evidence proving fault and the extent of your injuries and damages
- File all insurance claims and other claims for recovery
- Aggressively advocate for your best interests throughout the case
- Keep you advised of the progress of your case
We handle all aspects of your case so that you do not have to worry about legal matters while you recover from your injuries. Our attorneys represent clients throughout Suffolk County.
Call our law office in Boston, Massachusetts, to schedule your free consultation with one of our Boston ladder accident attorneys.
How Common Are Accidents Involving Ladders?
Falls continue to be a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States and the leading cause of death in the construction industry. About 43 percent of the fatal falls over one decade involved a ladder. Almost one-half of the fatal ladder falls involved a head injury.
According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), approximately 65 percent of construction workers use scaffolds or ladders as part of their jobs. A study by the Center for Disease Control found that 20 percent of falls among workers involved ladders. For construction workers, about 81 percent of fall injuries treated in emergency rooms involved a ladder.
What Are Common Causes of Ladder Accidents?
Most ladder accidents are preventable.
The causes of ladder accidents include:
- Using the incorrect size ladder for the job
- Using the incorrect ladder for the job
- Failing to use personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) and tie off to an anchor
- Inadequate training in ladder setup and safety
- Failing to examine a ladder before each use for damage
- Failing to secure ladders properly on a level, firm surface
- Misusing ladders, including using ladders for unintended purposes
- Defects in the ladder and faulty designs
- Lack of qualified supervision
- Exceeding the ladder’s weight load
When workers do not adhere to safety standards for the use of ladders, severe injuries and wrongful deaths may occur.
Injuries Caused by Ladder Accidents
Injuries from falls off ladders and ladder accidents can result in debilitating impairments and even death. The most common types of injuries sustained in ladder accidents are traumatic brain injuries and broken bones.
However, a worker may also sustain back injuries and spinal cord injuries, which could lead to paralysis. Neck injuries are also commonly caused by ladder falls. The worker may also sustain strains, sprains, and soft tissue injuries.
Ladder accidents may cause electrical burns and electrocution if the ladder comes into contact with a live current. Wrongful death is common when a worker falls from a high elevation.
Immediate medical treatment is necessary after a ladder accident. Delays in medical care could harm your health and have a negative impact on a personal injury or workers’ compensation claim.
Who is Liable for Damages Caused by a Ladder Accident?
Most ladder accidents on construction sites and other job sites fall under workers’ compensation. If you were acting within the ordinary course of your employment, you should be able to file for workers’ comp benefits.
However, you could also have a claim against another party. The ladder’s manufacturer, designer, distributor, or seller could be liable under a product liability claim if the ladder was defective.
Your employer could be liable if you were ordered to use the ladder in an unsafe manner or your employer failed to provide you with adequate fall protection. Employers could also be liable if they provided you with the incorrect ladder to perform the job.
Determining whether you have a third-party claim or a claim against your employer for a ladder accident can be complicated. Our Boston personal injury lawyers examine and analyze every fact and piece of evidence in your case to determine how the accident occurred. They search for evidence that points to parties who might be liable for the injury.
Filing a personal injury claim in addition to a worker’s compensation claim can provide additional money for your damages. You could recover full compensation for all loss of income, in addition to compensation for non-economic damages.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Boston Ladder Accident Lawyers
Workers’ compensation benefits do not compensate you fully for injuries caused by a ladder accident. We encourage you to contact our office to schedule a free consultation with a Boston ladder accident lawyer. Let us help you recover the maximum amount of compensation available for a ladder accident.