FORKLIFT ACCIDENTS
FORKLIFT ACCIDENTS Attorneys
If you or a loved one has been injured in a forklift accident, our forklift accident lawyers will fight to get you full and fair compensation.
Forklift accidents often result in life-changing injuries and you need experienced catastrophic personal injury attorneys that will work towards getting you the compensation that you need and deserve. You will find those attorneys at Schwarz & Schwarz.
We’ve gotten over $100,000,000 in compensation for our clients since we started representing clients injured in accidents, including forklift accidents. Recently, we recovered $6 million for a client who was struck by a forklift and injured.
Let our forklift accident attorneys handle your case so that you can focus on recovering from your injuries. Call us to schedule your immediate free, no-obligation case evaluation.
How Can a Forklift Accident Lawyer Attorney Help Me
Our Team of Forklift Accident Lawyers Can Calculate and May Be Able to Recover Monetary Damages For You
If you are injured in a forklift accident, the defendants are not only liable for medical expenses. You may be able to recover any of the following:
- Lost wages
- Compensation for your diminished earning capacity
- Past, current, and future medical bills
- The cost of medication
- The cost of physical therapy
- Compensation for your pain and suffering
- Compensation for any loss of the enjoyment of life
If a loved one was injured or killed in a forklift accident, you may be able to recover:
- Compensation for loss of consortium
- Compensation for wrongful death
- Funeral expenses
Our Forklift Accident Attorneys Can Determine Who Was at Fault
Forklift accidents can be caused by forklift drivers, pallet loaders, forklift manufacturers, forklift mechanics, job site supervisors or managers, or warehouse managers or owners. Our team of forklift accident lawyers will investigate and determine who was at fault for the accident and your injuries.
We’ve learned from developing and implementing the Safety System with OSHA that most forklift accidents could have been prevented by proper training, equipment maintenance, and adequate safeguards. This experience allows us to identify whomever was responsible for and failed to provide that training, maintenance, or safeguards.
Our Forklift Accident Lawyers Can Prove the Negligence or Fault of the Defendants
We will investigate thoroughly and employ experts to show that the defendants owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused your damages. We know how to monetize the intangible aspects of your damages and can get you the compensation you deserve.
Types of Injuries Caused By Forklift and Warehouse Accidents
Because of the size and weight of forklifts relative to other vehicles and to bystanders, they often result in catastrophic, life-changing workplace injuries. If a forklift is damaged, faulty, or improperly operated, the risk of serious injury to the driver, nearby workers, and nearby pedestrians is great. People injured by forklifts commonly suffer:
- Broken bones
- Ligament damage
- Back and neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head injuries
- Concussion
- Internal bleeding
- Death
In 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that from 2011 to 2017, 614 workers lost their lives in forklift-related incidents, and more than 7,000 nonfatal injuries causing loss of wages occur every year. That’s more than 19 people a day being injured by forklifts.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), nearly 20% of forklift accidents involve a pedestrian, and 36% of forklift-related deaths are pedestrians.
Common Causes of Forklift Accidents
- Forklift operator distraction
- Improper training
- Forklift operated at excessive speed
- Forklift turned improperly
- Improper or negligent maintenance of the Forklift
- Manufacturing or equipment defect
- Improper signage
- Dangerously laid-out workplace
- Driving with an unstable load
- Driving with an elevated load
- Exceeding the lifting capacity for the forklift
Common Causes of Warehouse Injuries
- Struck by forklift
- Struck by falling load from forklift
- Fall from forklift
- Crushed by forklift after forklift has overturned
- Struck by falling warehouse stock
- Struck by other falling object
- Fall to lower level
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
OSHA reports that forklift overturning is the most common forklift accident and accounts for 24% of all forklift accidents. A forklift can overturn if it is operated at high speed, turned suddenly, improperly loaded, or improperly maintained.
OSHA reports that inadequate operator training results in 25% of all forklift accidents.
- Forklift collision with a pedestrian
- Forklift load falling off, striking a pedestrian
- Forklift overturning, striking or crushing a pedestrian
- Forklift overturning, crushing the operator
- Adequate operator training
- Proper maintenance of forklift
- Adequate signage and hazard tape defining area of forklift operations
- Installation of red light/no pedestrian zones
- Installation of forklift back-up alarm
Your Experienced Forklift Accident Lawyers
Forklift accidents are all too common among our clients. If you’ve been injured in a forklift accident, you want an experienced forklift attorney by your side.
Whether you were injured by a forklift due to operator inexperience or error, the forklift being improperly manufactured or maintained, or the forklift operation area not clearly marked or barricaded for safety, we can recover damages for you.
Put our over 50 years of personal injury and construction site experience and proven success to work for you. Call us today to schedule your free consultation.