Construction sites are filled with heavy materials and large pieces of equipment. Workers are vulnerable to having something land on them and cause a crush injury. These are very serious injuries, which carry potentially fatal complications.
At Powers & Santola, LLP, we work closely with injured construction workers to seek compensation following an accident. A crush injury can lead to catastrophic loss of limbs and other problems, which means you might never return to your construction job in the future. Contact us today to speak with our Albany construction accident attorney about your options for receiving compensation.
What Are Crush Injuries?
This type of injury occurs whenever a heavy object puts pressure on the body for an extended period of time. An obvious example would be something heavy landing on someone’s arm or leg. Getting a body part caught in a machine can also lead to a crush injury if you can’t easily release the body part.
If something falls on you, the first priority should be to get it removed as soon as possible. Then seek immediate medical treatment so that doctors can watch for developing complications.
What Causes Crush Injuries?
These are common at construction sites because of the number of machines and heavy materials on site. Many people suffer a crush injury in the following:
- Building collapse. A wall or roof could land on a worker when the building caves in around them.
- Machine rollover. Any machine on the job site could roll onto a worker, such as a crane, forklift, dump truck, or another piece of machinery.
- Dropped materials. Heavy materials can slide off a roof or fall off a forklift onto a construction worker.
- Trench collapse. Many trenches get dug at a job site for footings, utility lines, and the foundation. However, the trench might collapse if it is not properly secured, and a worker could suffer a crush injury.
A major cause of these accidents is negligence around the construction site. Workers did not perform their tasks with sufficient care, and another person was injured as a result.
Why Are Crush Injuries Dangerous?
These injuries can cause many problems. Ideally, the heavy weight will get lifted off the worker, or a limb will be freed from a machine. However, the longer the weight is on the victim, the greater the chance of complications.
Some of the problems our clients suffer in crush injuries include:
- Fractures. A bone can break, sometimes shattering into many pieces that are hard to hold back together. A problem with fracture is malunion, where the bones will fuse back together but at an awkward angle.
- Soft-tissue injury. Nerves, ligaments, muscles, and tendons can all suffer serious damage when heavy weight lays on the body. Nerve damage could be permanent.
- Infection. A crushed limb could become infected, which could lead to sepsis or necrosis.
- Crush syndrome. Serious crush injuries can damage skeletal muscle, which end up releasing toxins. These toxins can lead to renal failure and shock. Often, the only way to stop the problem is to amputate the crushed limb.
Seek Compensation for Your Crush Injury
A construction worker suffering a crush injury faces an uncertain future, in addition to high medical bills. You probably have many questions about whether you will ever be able to work again. Someone who lost a limb to amputation might fear how they will support their families now that they have a disability.
It is critical to receive as much compensation as possible. Someone injured while working a construction job should qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits can cover the cost of necessary medical care and replace some of your lost wages. You might also receive a payout for loss of a limb.
However, a construction worker might also be able to file a lawsuit for personal injury. This is an excellent way to supplement the money you receive from workers’ compensation. Ideally, a personal injury lawsuit should provide money for pain, suffering, emotional distress, and similar losses, in addition to all lost income. Someone with a disability should also seek loss of earning capacity to replace lost future income.
Call Us to Get Started
If you suffered a crush injury at work, please call Powers & Santola. Our Albany construction accident lawyer will analyze what types of compensation is available. You can sometimes sue an employer or job site owner, in addition to receiving workers’ compensation benefits. To find out more, please schedule a consultation with our law firm for a convenient time and location.
