Ladder-related construction accidents are a frequent source of injuries and deaths for workers. This stems from the fact that a large number of construction workers such as ironworkers, steelworkers, carpenters, masons, laborers or electricians work from an elevation or height by using ladders, scaffolds, platforms etc.
Nearly 100,000 people in the United States receive emergency room treatment as a result of ladder-related injuries every year. Thousands of workers are injured in ladder falls on the job and many are killed. It is important to note that ladder accidents can be avoided with proper safety measures.
Falls from Ladders are Dangerous
A recent study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that falls from ladders are common and they can be deadly. The study, published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that falls remain a leading cause of unintentional injury and mortality nationwide and that 43% of fatal falls in the last decade have involved a ladder. Among workers, about 20% of fall injuries involve ladders, and among construction workers, an estimated 81% of fall injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms involve a ladder.
The CDC’s study also found the following:
• Men and Hispanic people had higher rates of fatal and nonfatal ladder injuries compared with workers of other races and ethnicities.
• Ladder injuries increased with age, except for those treated in emergency rooms.
• Fatality rates were substantially higher for self-employed workers.
• Companies with the fewest employees had the highest fatality rates.
• The construction industry had the highest ladder fall injury rates compared with all other industries.
Common Types of Ladder-Related Injuries
Head injuries: Studies consistently show that head injuries are the most common types of injuries sustained in ladder accidents accounting for nearly half of all ladder-related injuries. Head injuries can range from concussions, which are not life-threatening, to traumatic brain injuries such as skull fractures and bleeding in the brain, which may result in lifelong disabilities or even prove fatal. Brain injuries may also require extensive, long-term rehabilitation, which may prove costly.
Back and neck injuries: Falls from ladders can also cause severe damage to spinal cord. This may result in partial or complete paralysis or it may result in deformities and disabilities that may affect a worker for the rest of his life. Spinal cord damage may require surgeries, hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation, which can be expensive.
Broken bones: While broken bones are not viewed as life threatening, they can take a long time to heal resulting in loss of wages and livelihood for construction workers. Broken bones may take several weeks or even months to heal. Also, they may require rehabilitative therapy to heal. Physical therapy may not be covered by many health insurance policies.
Sprains and strains: A sprain is a stretch and/or tear in a ligament, which is a strong band of connective tissue that connects the end of one bone with another. Ligaments stabilize and support the body’s joints. The areas of the body that are most vulnerable to sprains are ankles, knees and wrists. A strain is an injury to a muscle and/or tendon. Tendons are fibrous cords of tissue that attach muscles to bone. Similar to a sprain, a strain may be a simple stretch of your muscle or tendon, or it may involve a partial or complete tear of the muscle and tendon. Symptoms of a strain may include pain, muscle spasm, muscle weakness, swelling, inflammation, and cramping.
Contacting a Construction Accident Lawyer
Workers in New York are protected under federal and city laws. Therefore, a worker who suffers a fall from a ladder may be able to seek compensation from several responsible parties including but not limited to the general contractor, a sub-contractor, building owner, developer, the manufacturer of a defective ladder, etc.
If you have suffered injuries in a construction-related accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker (an undocumented immigrant) who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case settlements in New York that year. Our law firm also recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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