First developed in Europe, tower cranes are now used as essential devices on construction sites and other projects throughout the world. But while tower cranes statistically are safer than smaller mobile cranes, tower crane accidents do occur, and these can cause horrifying, catastrophic accidents which maim and kill.
If your family has been a victim of a tower crane accident, do not hesitate to contact a Board-Certified Personal Injury Attorney at The Willis Law Firm to explore your legal options. Tower Crane Accident Lawyer will file a lawsuit for you injuries, losses, including medical costs, lost wages, disfigurement, pain and suffering, mental anguish or loss of a loved one.
Tower Crane Accident Sites, Types
Many tower crane accidents have occurred in recent years at various sites and of various types, causing severe injuries and deaths, often in congested urban areas. These include:
- Houston, Texas crane accident
- New York, NY tower crane accidents
- San Francisco, CA crane accident
- Annapolis, MD crane accident
- Kansas City, MO crane accident
- Miami-Dade County, FL tower crane accident
Since much crane work is done in highly populated urban areas — as at towering construction sites in the downtowns of major cities — unsafe tower crane equipment and operations are dangers not just to construction workers but also to the general public on streets and sidewalks. When lifting over streets and walkways, flagman must be deployed to prevent aerial lifts with people underneath. If a rigging comes loose, or a gust of wind catches the load, then disastrous results can occur to anyone below.
One famous tower crane accident case occurred during to the construction of the parking garage at Houston Intercontinental Airport. Our client was driving a parking lot bus when all of a sudden, a steel beam being lifted over the moving bus came crashing through hitting her in the upper body and neck causing traumatic brain injury and then severing the arm of a young college student two rows back. Click to read more about this Houston tower accident case
Erection, Lifting, Dismantling Tower Crane Accidents
The majority of tower crane accidents happen in one of three stages: the erection of the tower crane, the jumping, lifting higher or climbing of the tower crane, and the dismantling of the tower crane. Erecting a tower crane is a serious matter involving strict operational plans such as sequencing, weights, positions and staging locations. Crews must be experienced and have the needed tools.
Tower crane erection accidents can occur even after the riggers have departed from the site, as incorrect installation leads to later collapses.
During what are known as jumping, lifting or climbing operations, mishaps also can occur. In fact, tower cranes are more vulnerable at these times, since the equipment is relatively unsecured to allow for upward movements. The crane’s means of support also is steadily shifting while it’s in motion.
Tower crane dismantling accidents occur due to many hazards, including the fact that often a building is in place beside the crane, where no building had existed when the crane was erected. Also, pins and bolts can be locked in place after several months of work and can be difficult to remove. Such things mean that dismantling a tower crane requires more care and expertise than erecting one.
Other Tower Crane Accident Causes
Tower crane accidents also can occur when cranes come in contact with electrical lines, when cranes’ loads or objects fall due to crane workers’ or operators’ errors, when cranes suffer cracks, fatigue or stress failures, or when problems arise due to improper riggings or inspections. Bolting, for one thing, is a common cause of errors in erection or installation of a tower crane.
High winds also can cause tower crane accidents. These can occur when the crane is in operation or when it is out of service and idle. During operation, the severity of wind force is unlikely on its own to cause a collapse, but it can cause an operator to lose control, especially if the element being lifted has a large wind-catching surface. In addition, many elements of tower cranes are highly stressed and can be exposed to fatigue-inducing conditions.
Tower crane accidents also can happen when different parts of other cranes are used for improper modifications of the crane that’s in service. Errors can occur when parts from different cranes are mixed, including masts, jibs, motors and brakes. These can lead to stress failures, metal fatigue failures, system overloads and improper load or counterbalance calculations.
Tower crane accidents also can occur after improper inspections fail to catch problems which could cause a catastrophic tower crane collapse. Some cities have a shortage of qualified tower crane inspectors to ensure that a crane is safe. Some crane inspectors even have been known to file false crane inspection reports.
When a tower crane accident does happen, damages and injuries can be extreme given the large shadow of the mast, tower, motor house, steel beams, jib, cables, slewing unit and operator’s cab. All can become deadly projectiles in a tower crane collapse.
A tower crane’s load is itself a danger. Today’s tower cranes may lift up to 15 tons of weight — and lift it hundreds of feet into the air, especially for high-rise construction. Such loads can cause devastating injuries and also deaths if they drop from such heights. Each load must be properly balanced and secured so that it remains stable and the tower crane tolerates its stresses during a lift.
Get a Tower Crane Accident Lawyer
If one of the accidents described here or some other tower crane collapse causes injury or death to a loved one in your family, don’t hesitate to contact The Willis Law Firm today for experienced and knowledgeable legal help.
You can speak to a tower crane accident lawyer who can guide you about your prospects for a successful tower crane accident lawsuit. And, if you engage our law firm, you will not be charged any up-front legal fees. Rather, we will get paid only if we win your case, and then only from a portion of the settlement amount in your favor.
Contact us today and let us help you claim the payments to which you are legally entitled after an injury or death in your family due to a tower crane accident.
Talk to a Tower Crane Accident Lawyer –Call 1-800-883-9858 or Online Form