A construction accident can be caused by a variety of factors. Machinery malfunction is just one of those factors. A recent crane accident – caused by a malfunction in the strapping – caused injuries to two construction workers at an apartment building in Miami.
The accident occurred on the morning of Sept. 12 near Biscayne Blvd. and 79th Street. A crane was lifting plywood off the second floor of the apartment building. As the crane was lowering the plywood, the nylon strapping that was used to keep the wood in place malfunctioned. The strap came off and dropped several pieces of wood onto two employees below.
Miami Fire Rescue responded to the accident. The men suffered serious injuries and were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. They are in stable condition and are expected to survive. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
There are multiple parties involved in this accident: the workers, the crane operator, the employer and the manufacturer of the defective strapping. Was the strapping solely to blame? Was it old and worn-out and in need of replacement? Should the employer have replaced it before use? Was the crane operator being negligent?
Hopefully the results of the investigation will yield some answers as to who can be held responsible. Although the construction workers will recover from their injuries, they will need to pay the medical bills that resulted from this accident. If they missed work, they will also want to be compensated for their time off and lost income. From whom can they recover compensation?
The amount of money the men can recover — if any — will depend on the severity of their injuries. It may or may not be worth it for a lawyer to spend time working on some injury cases. In any case, a consultation with a legal professional may be of benefit.
Source: WSVN-TV, “2 workers injured on the job” No author given, Sep. 12, 2013
