Construction Falls
Our attorneys understand that even though the construction industry has widely accepted and effective practices that can prevent workers in the building trades from falling at construction sites, fall accidents continue to be the most frequent cause of fatalities occurring at worksites. In fact, falls account for about one-third of all worker deaths in the construction industry.
SMB has earned a national reputation for successfully representing more construction fall victims than any other U.S. law firm. SMB attorneys represent victims of the most common causes of falls that result in catastrophic injuries or death, including:
- Unprotected perimeters and wall openings
- Holes in floors
- Unguarded protruding steel rebars
Unmatched Results
SMB has secured numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients who have suffered catastrophic injuries or death from construction site falls, including:
- $14,000,000 settlement for a roofer who suffered traumatic brain injury at a worksite
- $12,700,000 settlement for seven workers injured in a scaffold collapse during construction of the Kimmel Center
- $12,000,000 settlement for a roofer who was left quadriplegic after falling 40 feet
- $10,000,000 for worker paralyzed in fall from a pallet rack
- $8,500,000 settlement for a roofer paralyzed after backing off a roof
- $5,900,000 settlement for a roofer who fell through a hole at a worksite
- $5,500,000 settlement for a construction worker injured in 40-foot fall off a tipped-over scaffold
- $4,950,000 settlement for a roofer rendered paraplegic after 40-foot fall through a decaying roof
- $24,100,000According to court papers, plaintiff Leon Oates, a construction worker, broke through a drop ceiling tile during the construction project and fell ...Read Story
- $12,000,000A roofer who was paralyzed from the neck down after a 40-foot fall will be paid $12 million to settle his suit against a general contractor that ...Read Story
- $8,500,000A case involving a roofer who was paralyzed after falling about 40 feet has culminated in an $8.5 million settlement.Read Story
- $7,900,000When the pool of potential jurors filed into Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Marlene F. Lachman's courtroom on Friday morning, they were informed ...Read Story
- $6,700,000A painter who suffered severe brain damage after a more than 100-foot fall off of a transmission pole received a $6.7 million settlement from PECO ...Read Story
- $6,500,000A construction worker who was paralyzed after falling off scaffolding has settled with the building owners, the scaffold manufacturer and others for ...Read Story
- $4,800,000A construction worker who suffered permanent damage to his arm during an on-the-job fall into a trench agreed to a $4.8 million settlement yesterday ...Read Story
- $11,000,000A settlement worth nearly $11 million was reached last week during the sixth day of trial in a wrongful death suit brought by the wife and estate of ...Read Story
- $7,800,000A man injured after falling 10 feet from a platform on a construction site has settled his lawsuit against the general contractor for $7.8 million, ...Read Story
Unmatched Experience
SMB understands the safety measures necessary to protect the men and women working at dangerous heights to build our homes, office buildings, and bridges. From our experience handling hundreds of fall cases, we are also familiar with the management mistakes and shortcuts that lead to tragic falls.
In these complex cases, SMB’s attorneys rely upon both their extensive experience and the knowledge of leading construction safety experts to determine exactly what went wrong. We want to know:
- Were all OSHA regulations and contractual safety requirements met?
- Were such safety measures as perimeter cables and safety nets used?
- To answer such questions, our lawyers thoroughly review:
- Job safety and hazard analyses
- Contracts between owners, general contractors, and subcontractors
- Daily reports, OSHA records, and accident investigations
Unmatched Compensation
Property owners, general contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, and equipment and materials manufacturers may all be liable for construction falls. As part of their construction contracts, contractors typically promise to provide all proper safety measures at the worksite.
SMB works tirelessly to hold contractors accountable for those promises. We help fall victims and their family members get all of the compensation to which they may be entitled, including compensation for pain and suffering, emotional trauma, past and future medical and rehabilitation expenses, lost income, and future earnings.
If you have been injured, or a family member has been injured or killed, because of a construction fall, SMB is committed to obtaining all the results you need and deserve.