The Reality of Forklift Accidents in New York City
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there are approximately 85 fatalities, 34,900 serious injuries, and 61,800 non-serious injuries every year because of forklift accidents. The Industrial Truck Association estimates that there are about 855,900 forklifts in the United States, and a forklift is one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment on construction sites. These massive pieces of equipment have a useful life of approximately 8 years, but at least 90% of these forklifts are used for a longer period of time than that which has been allotted for safe use.
There are many reasons and ways that forklift accidents can take place, and you should seek help immediately if you or a loved one have been the victim of a forklift accident. When you contact a New York workplace accident attorney at Greenberg & Stein, P.C., we will take immediate action to investigate your accident and what caused your injuries. Below, we have listed some of the main causes of serious forklift accidents:
- Tip over accidents (42%)
- Crushes between vehicles and a surface (25%)
- Struck by / ran over by forklifts (10%)
- Struck by falling material (8%)
- Fall from platform on the forks (4%)
Forklifts are used in many different industries and work environments, and forklift accident fatalities are most likely to occur in manufacturing facilities. These are industrial sites consisting of buildings and machinery, and many of these factories process products or materials such as chemicals, pulp, paper, refined oils, and other chemicals. The construction industry is where an estimated 23.8% of the forklift fatalities occur, and other industries like wholesale trade, transportation, retail trade and mining also report these fatalities on a yearly basis.
How to Seek Compensation for Work Accidents in NYC
It is a tragedy that a majority of forklift accidents could have been prevented by better training or better maintenance. Here at Greenberg & Stein, P.C., we have helped countless injury victims through the difficult period of time following a forklift or other work-related accident. We understand what you are going through and we are committed to helping you recover the full financial compensation that you deserve. If a third party outside of your employer was responsible for your forklift accident, we can help you pursue compensation through a third party claim.
Even though most employers in the state of New York are required to provide their employees with workers’ compensation insurance, there are certain workplace accidents in which it would be better to file a third party lawsuit rather than to seek workers’ compensation benefits. Forklift accident claims can be highly complicated, especially if your accident occurred on a construction site where there were multiple contracting companies. This can blur the lines of employment but your lawyer can dig deep into your accident to determine whether or not a company’s negligent actions caused the work-related accident. It is possible for the guilty party to be the property owner, building supervisor, contractor, subcontractor, or forklift manufacturer, and we will not rule out any possibilities before we fully examine your case.
As a result of the countless claims we have handled, we are often able to determine who is responsible by investigating whether property training and safety precautions were implemented. In other cases, a forklift may have been poorly maintained or an accident may have been the result of equipment failure.
We will also interview eyewitnesses to determine if the negligence of another worker caused your injuries. Whatever the cause of your injuries may be, you can have confidence knowing that we are relentlessly pursuing the maximum amount of compensation available for you. Contact us today!