NY accident lawyers discuss injuries from forklifts
Powered industrial trucks, or fork lifts, are necessary in many kinds of work settings. However, they also pose serious risks to workers and sometimes to bystanders such as pedestrians walking past a work site.
Two recent examples of forklift fatalities from New York City involved a worker in Queens who passed away after a forklift fell on him in a warehouse, and a Brooklyn grocery worker who was crushed against a wall by a forklift and died from his chest injuries. Their deaths warrant serious investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incidents by an experienced accident lawyer. Many forklift accidents are preventable, if safety on the work site is prioritized.
What factors increase the risk of a forklift accident?
There are a number of factors that increase the risk of forklift accidents. Workers may not be properly trained in forklift safety and operation. They may be working under conditions of high stress, using the machinery when they’re fatigued or when they need to accomplish something at an unsafe speed in order to meet a certain work demand. There may be poor communication among workers, and not enough warning that a forklift is in use and where it’s headed.
The forklifts themselves may be old or poorly maintained, with malfunctioning components. The work environment may make forklift use less safe in a number of ways; it may contain narrow, cluttered spaces and a high volume of traffic of workers and other pieces of machinery.
Furthermore, the forklift may be loaded improperly; for instance, the load it’s bearing may be too heavy for the forklift or too unstable.
Always keep safety in mind
The forklift, the people operating it, and the surrounding environment always need to be monitored for safety risks. Adopting preventative safety measures will help lower the chances of an accident.
Contact a Lawyer
If an accident does occur, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced accident lawyer who can review what happened. Your lawyer will help you fight for the compensation you need from insurance companies and, depending on the situation, from anyone who may have been responsible for the accident.