Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

In Chicago’s River North, two construction workers sustained serious injuries on Monday when the scaffolding they were on collapsed off the Adlake Building located on West Ohio Street while they were doing masonry. The building was undergoing renovations.

It took over 50 firefighters from the Chicago Fire Department more than one hour to rescue the two men. One man, who was trapped between the scaffolding and the building, was pinned seven stories above the ground against the building. The other worker was able to climb onto the top of the building.

Both workers sustained head injuries and significant blood loss during the construction accident. They were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where, on Monday night, they were reportedly in critical condition.

According to the Chicago Fire Department’s Special Operations Chief Michael Fox, the firefighters perform a lot of scaffolding rescues in Chicago. A window and roofing company employs the two construction workers.

Scaffolding Accidents
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to hold up construction workers and their materials while they are working on buildings and other large structures. It is important that proper safety precautions are exercised when workers are on a scaffold. It is also essential that the scaffold is properly constructed and free of defects.

According to the US Department of Labor, the National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries reported that 88 people died in scaffolding accidents between 2000 and 2004.

A scaffolding structure can be elevated to high heights and a person injured in fall from a scaffold or during a scaffold collapse accident may sustain a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, internal injuries, or other catastrophic injuries.

2 men seriously hurt in scaffolding collapse, Chicago Tribune, October 28, 2008

Workers hurt in scaffold collapse, Daily Herald, October 27, 2008

Related Web Resources

US Department of Labor

Illinois Workers' Compensation

Continue reading "Two Illinois Construction Workers Seriously Injured During Chicago Scaffolding Collapse" »

In Chicago, a 32-year-old man is in intensive care and paralyzed from the neck down after getting hit by what he says was falling masonry. Rogelio Rodriguez says he pushed a woman out of the way so that a slab of falling concrete wouldn’t strike her. He was hit instead.

Rodriguez’s wife, Amelia, says the accident occurred on August 15 close to Cermak and Damen. Meantime, Chicago police confirm that an accident occurred close to Damen and 22nd next to a building under construction but did not issue specific details. Amelia says Rodriguez, the family’s main source of support, is in a great deal of pain and will have to undergo surgery.

If you were injured because you believe that another party was reckless or careless, you may be entitled to receive personal injury compensation for your injuries, medical and recovery costs, and other damages. Some personal injuries can be catastrophic, and the expenses incurred from treating and living with such a serious injury can be too much for one’s medical insurance to cover.

Construction Accidents
While construction workers are the ones most prone to serious injury in most construction accidents, there are accidents that occur when innocent bystanders or others that happen to be at or around the site are the ones that get hurt.

Some examples of constructions accidents:

• Falling debris
• Fall accidents
• Defective machinery
• Crane collapses
• Scaffolding accidents
• Site explosions

Hero paralyzed saving woman, Chicago Sun-Times, August 27, 2008

Man paralyzed by falling debris, ABClocal.go.com, August 25, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Spinal Cord Injuries, MedlinePlus.com

Construction Safety, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC.gov

Continue reading "Chicago Man Says He Was Paralyzed After Being Struck by Falling Masonry" »

On Aug. 22, an OSHA officer, while driving by a Chicago-area residential construction site, observed employees working at approximately 30 feet above grade performing roofing work. He stopped at the worksite and saw an employee trip on a slide guard and nearly fell off the roof. Luckily, the employee caught himself on the side of a chimney. The officer initiated an inspection and asked the employer to cease work until employees were provided adequate fall protection.

This is just another example of construction companies disregarding safety to increase the speed of a project. Unfortunately, many construction companies are more concerned with completing a project on schedule than safety. In this case, it was quicker to allow employees to work without fall protection than to require them to wear a safety line or provide other fall protection.

If you are employed in the construction industry, you should demand compliance with all known safety regulations. In addition, you should report any safety violations to your foreman or general contractor. Working in safe conditions is your right, which must protected at all costs.

If you are injured at a construction site, it is important that you retain top quality legal representation. You should hire an attorney who has a track record of success in representing victims of construction negligence.

Malman Law has the skill and experience to handle construction site accident cases. We believe the key to success in construction cases is being aggressive and persistent. This type of aggressive representation has resulted in the recovery of millions of dollars for our clients.

One out of every 10 construction workers is injured every year. The most common accident at construction sites is falls causing more fatalities than any other construction activity. Ironworkers have the greatest likelihood of being injured on a construction site, more than any other trade.

We recently settled a case for an Ironworker who was injured in Rosemont, Illinois. Our client was helping a co-worker move a steel beam when the co-worker slipped and dropped the beam. As a result, my client was left holding the entire weight of the beam. The beam was so heavy that my client felt an immediate "pop" in his back causing immediate pain. He eventually was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back and underwent surgery to fuse his spine. We were able to prove that during a rain storm the general contractor ordered my client to move a steel beam. Our expert determined that the general contractor was negligent for failing to shut down the site and for ordering my client to perform work in unsafe conditions.

Construction site cases can be very complex. The most difficult aspect of these cases is determining all of the liable parties. If the injured worker is employed by the general contractor then we must determine what role, if any, the sub-contractors played in the injury. If the worker is employed by a sub-contractor, then we must determine the liability of the general contractor, the owner and other sub-contractors.

At Malman Law, we feel the best way to establish liability in a case is through the use of expert witnesses. We utilize construction safety experts who have worked for OSHA and understand government regulation of the construction industry. We are often able to uncover poor safety compliance and a disregard for government regulations.

A construction site is a very dangerous place. Construction companies are well aware of the dangers of the site but will often disregard safety for speed and profits. If you are injured, it is important to exercise your legal rights . By exercising your rights, you will bring to light to unsafe conditions which may help to prevent future injuries.