Rockaway Beach Crane Accident Lawyer
Tower cranes play a crucial role in most modern construction projects, especially in densely developed areas like Rockaway Beach. However, while these massive machines can be extremely useful when operated properly, they can also be dangerous if someone unqualified is controlling one, as well as if errors are made in how the crane is constructed and anchored or in how its various components are assembled by its manufacturer.
Regardless of what specific circumstances led to you getting hurt in a construction accident involving a crane, having help from a seasoned construction accident attorney can be key to effectively seeking financial restitution for your accident-related losses. Whether you want to recover through workers’ comp, third-party litigation, or a combination of both, a Rockaway Beach crane accident lawyer’s support could be all but essential to getting the best possible outcome from your claim(s).
Recovering for Short-Term and Long-Term Losses
A big reason crane accidents can be difficult to build personal injury cases around is that this kind of accident is especially likely to cause life-altering—if not life-threatening—injuries compared to many other kinds of construction site accidents. As a result, both workers’ comp claims and personal injury lawsuits built around incidents like this often must focus mainly on the impacts that the claimant’s injuries will have on them years or even decades into the future, as well as the more intangible losses that permanent disfigurement and/or disability can produce.
On the workers’ comp side, available benefits after a crane-related injury may include full reimbursement for all reasonably necessary medical expenses but only partial reimbursement through disability benefits for lost work income. A personal injury lawsuit against a third party can seek restitution for the full value of various economic and non-economic losses, but only if the claimant can prove that a specific person’s negligence directly led to their crane accident in Rockaway Beach—something a skilled attorney can provide crucial assistance with.
How Comparative Fault Could Affect Financial Recovery
A crane injury lawyer in Rockaway Beach can also help contest allegations made against a crane injury victim that they were primarily at fault for causing their own accident through negligent conduct. If that negligent conduct is considered to be horseplay by the employer and/or insurance company receiving a workers’ comp claim, it could be enough to get the claim dismissed outright for cause, leaving the injured worker with no means of ever seeking benefits for that injury.
Likewise, New York Civil Practice Law & Rules §1411 allows civil courts overseeing personal injury claims to assign percentages of comparative fault to an injured plaintiff along these lines and then reduce the value of that plaintiff’s final damage award by that same percentage. On the bright side, since New York takes a pure comparative fault approach, there is no amount of fault a plaintiff can hold for their own injuries—other than 100 percent—which would disqualify them from seeking at least some compensation from another person who contributed to causing their accident.
Get Help from a Rockaway Beach Crane Accident Attorney Today
Whether you are the one working in a crane when it malfunctions or just nearby when a mechanical or operator error occurs, being involved in a crane accident on a construction site can be an instantly life-changing experience. Even worse, it can also be a deceptively tricky type of accident to file suit over successfully, and even workers’ comp benefits through your employer may be more difficult to obtain than you expect.
Guidance from a Rockaway Beach crane accident lawyer could make a world of difference in how your recovery efforts go for you and whether they end with you getting the financial support you need. Call today to set up a private initial consultation.
