Injuries caused by falling objects

The Massachusetts disability lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates are dedicated to obtaining workers’ compensation benefits for injured workers everywhere. For over 20 years, our legal team has recovered substantial awards for employees who have suffered workplace injuries, including those harmed by falling objects. Our firm provides the highest quality of service to injured workers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Falling objects strike over 250,000 workers each year, causing nearly 600 deaths. Workers hit by falling objects account for almost one-tenth of all fatal work injuries in the United States. Every day, farmers, drivers, and laborers risk being struck down and pinned by all types of heavy material or collapsing structures, including:

• Steel beams
• Trees, lumber
• Trucks, tractors
• Mobile equipment
• Pallets, merchandise
• Concrete cinder blocks
• Mining, extraction shafts
• Machinery, motor vehicles
• Electric, power tools or parts
• Roof materials, scaffold planks
• Loose containers, boxes, crates
• Metal, wooden chips, saw blades

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers struck by falling objects make up one-eighth of all injuries requiring days off work. In cases involving mobile machines and vehicles, only half of these workers survive. Health impact studies show that when the forcible contact between the falling object and the person involves movement, death is more likely.

From construction and logging sites to labs and offices, workers are always at risk of being hit by falling objects. Human error and unintentional contact cause objects to fly, hitting others in the workplace. Blunt trauma to vulnerable areas of the body may cause injuries involving:

• Concussion
• Brain damage
• Paralysis, coma
• Eye or vision loss
• Loss of motor skills
• Cognitive impairment
• Facial burns or scarring
• Permanent disfigurement
• Amputation, severed limb

Employers must implement safeguards and supply protective hard hats, goggles, and face shields. Managers must inspect tools, machines, and protective guards for safety. Workers should stack materials to prevent sliding, barricade or mark hazards, and avoid passing beneath moving loads. Toe screens, debris nets, catch platforms, and guardrails are also useful to prevent falling.

Massachusetts law provides workers’ compensation benefits to workers hit by falling objects. This system allows payment of weekly cash benefits or a lump-sum settlement by the employer and its insurer, regardless of fault. Injured workers are entitled to compensation for a variety of losses directly caused by job-related injuries, including:

• Lost income
• Reduced pay
• Job retraining
• Partial function
• Total incapacity
• Physical therapy
• Medical expenses
• Prescribed medicine
• Permanent loss of use

Whether the injury is classified as a partial or total disability will determine the amount of the award. Whether the disability is temporary or permanent likewise determines the duration of the payments. Injured workers are entitled to a lump-sum amount for certain injuries in addition to up to two-thirds of their average weekly wage.

If you were injured after being hit by a falling object at work, the Massachusetts disability attorneys at Kantrovitz & Associates can help. Effective counsel can greatly improve your chances of obtaining relief and maximizing your award. We have been the critical difference between success and debt for workers in Boston, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex, Suffolk, Merrimack, and Plymouth counties, and other areas throughout Massachusetts. Call 800-367-0871 today for a free consultation or contact us online.