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Falls From Unguarded Construction Openings & Edges

Although unguarded openings are a known hazard in the construction industry that lead to numerous injuries every year, many companies fail to take adequate precautions to protect workers from falling into unguarded, unmarked holes or off edges or roofs. Industry and government standards require that construction companies guard edges and holes on construction sites to prevent injuries. When these regulations are violated, construction workers can sustain permanent injuries that end careers, destroy families, and can even cause fatalities.

Seattle Construction Fall Injury Lawyers

By helping injured construction workers seek accountability from construction companies for violations of these standards, our law firm seeks fair compensation for our clients, a safer place for construction workers to work, and less unnecessary injuries in the construction industry.

Under Washington law, a general contractor who has supervisory authority over a job site is required to ensure compliance with government regulations like the Washington Industrial and Safety Act (WISHA) and other regulations that are designed to protect workers from known hazards. General contractors are required to ensure that subcontractors comply with these industry standards and are held liable when subcontractors violate government regulations. When these regulations are violated and construction workers are injured, we provide representation to injured construction workers seeking accountability for company violation of safety regulations and standards.

Because of our experience representing injured construction workers, we know when regulations have been violated and consult with construction safety experts to identify violations of safety standards. When you retain our firm, you receive the benefit of our experience in cases like yours.

Representing Construction Workers Injured by Unguarded Openings & Edges

Construction workers and maintenance workers have been injured in falls from openings and edges including the following:

  • From stairways that lack railings
  • From roofs
  • Into culverts, ditches, trenches and underground tunnels
  • From windows and lifts (such as a cherry picker or window-washing apparatus)
  • Through skylights
  • Through open doorways
  • Off of cliffs and drop-offs

Unguarded Opening Fall Injuries

Common injuries from a significant fall include broken bones, back injuries, spinal cord injuries, head injuries and internal organ injuries, sometimes leading to fatality at the scene of the accident or soon thereafter. Kraft Palmer Davies, PLLC, handles many types of construction accident cases on behalf of injured workers, their families and surviving next of kin after fatal accidents. Our lawyers help injured workers obtain compensation from liable parties, such as general contractors, subcontractors, maintenance companies and their insurers.

Contact Our Seattle Construction Site Injury Attorneys

For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced attorney regarding a case that involves construction injuries, falls into unguarded holes, maritime law, admiralty law or other workplace personal injury, please contact us or call 206-624-8844 for a free initial consultation.

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Verdicts & Settlements
  • $12,327,883 Verdict for scalping injury in a premises liability case. Another $1,000,000 in pre-trial settlements.
  • $10,720,077 Verdict in premises liability case. Another $4,300,000 in pre-trial settlements.
  • $7,500,000 Settlement for cardiopulmonary injury resulting in product liability claim.
  • $4,580,000 Settlement for quadriplegia from a Jones Act / maritime injury.
  • $4,000,000 Settlement for cardiopulmonary injury resulting in product liability claim.
  • $2,400,000 Settlement after two days of trial for the family of a chief mate who drowned after falling into an unmarked opening on a barge.
  • $2,372,323 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry vessel oiler who developed fibromyalgia as a result of injuries suffered while attempting to transfer bags of sand up a vertical ladder out of the vessel's bilge. It is believed to be the largest fibromyalgia verdict in the nation.
  • $1,600,000 Settlement in maritime case involving loss of arm below elbow.
  • $1,600,000 Settlement for commercial truck driver who sustained a below-the-knee amputation of his leg at a port when a load of pipe collapsed on him as his truck was being unloaded.
  • $1,415,743 Verdict in maritime personal injury case for loss of eyesight in one eye.
  • $1,156,000 Settlement for stroke resulting in product liability claim.
  • $1,100,000 Verdict in favor of three Washington State Ferry employees who had suffered occupational asthma as a result exposure to chlorine gas. This is believed to be one of the largest verdicts in the country for occupational asthma.
  • $1,000,000 Settlement for cardiac injury resulting in product liability claim.
  • $1,000,000 Settlement in construction negligence case involving electrocution.
  • $900,000 Settlement of bad faith claim against insurance company for failing to pay policy limits on behalf of its insured who had negligently injured clients in automobile collision.
  • $825,000 Settlement for injured tug seaman who sustained a career-ending injury to both wrists after the tug ran aground.
  • $806,361 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $800,000 Settlement in construction equipment failure case involving femur fracture and spinal compression fractures.
  • $780,991 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry ordinary seaman who suffered disabling back injury as a result of a defective buffer she was required to operate.
  • $750,000 Brain injury to an iron worker when a steel truss fell from overhead due to unsafe erection techniques.
  • $750,000 Settlement in pedestrian injury case involving closed head injury.
  • $740,000 Settlement in favor of fishing processor who had cargo fall onto in cargo hold resulting in pelvic fractures and other serious injuries.
  • $705,000 Settlement for tug seaman who injured back while attempting to untangle boom chains while working on a log raft.
  • $675,000 Settlement in favor of tugboat engineer injured as a result of defective cable and work methods used aboard a barge.
  • $656,786 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $650,000 Settlement in construction site negligence case involving cervical discectomy, rotator cuff repair, and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • $611,243 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $580,759 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $572,692 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $570,000 Settlement on behalf of tugboat deckhand who had developed psychogenic tremors as a result of traumatic shoulder and neck injuries while hauling in trailing line on a barge.
  • $567,000 Settlement in favor of a crab fisherman who suffered serious leg fractures as a result of an 800 crab pot falling on him.
  • $558,654 Verdict in favor of tugboat chief mate who had fallen between two barges into Puget Sound as a result of vessel owner and employer's violation of 46 U.S.C. § 8104(h)(12-hour rule) and developed post-traumatic stress disorder
  • $551,721 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $550,000 Settlement for shoulder injury and collar bone fracture after a motorcycle injury in a crash on Interstate 5.
  • $550,000 Shoulder injury to iron worker when the worker fell through a roof due to improper procedures and lack of adequate fall protection.
  • $500,000 Injury to shoulder of Washington State ferry employee from slipping on ice on stairs.
  • $500,000 Settlement in favor of Alaska Marine Highway assistant engineer who had fallen into an unmarked opening on a city dock and suffered a knee injury which prevented his return to marine employment.
  • $500,000 Settlement in favor of a Washington State Ferry quartermaster who suffered disabling injuries after falling into an open hatch. A lawsuit had been filed against the Washington State Ferry system and the vendor who was working in the hatch.
  • $500,000 Settlement for woman who sustained mild traumatic brain injury in a motor vehicle collision.
  • $477,000 Injury to seaman after falling from an unsafe ladder resulting in urethral transection, scrotal contusion, and erectile dysfunction.
  • $450,000 Shoulder injury and multiple fractures caused by head-on motor vehicle collision.
  • $450,000 Settlement in construction equipment failure case involving cervical burst fracture.
  • $450,000 Settlement in favor of construction worker who fell off roof and sustained back and ankle fractures.
  • $450,000 Settlement for injured chief engineer on tug after fell down defective tug ladder and sustained injuries that led to a cervical fusion.
  • $420,000 Knee injury to barge tankerman after slipping on a oily mat.
  • $420,000 Settlement for injured barge tankerman who slipped on oil and injured his knee and lower back.
  • $400,000 Injury to the shoulder of a tug deckhand when a towing line was pulled in an unsafe manner.
  • $400,000 Wrongful death of truck driver caused by accidental overdose of pain medication.
  • $400,000 Settlement for woman injured in the produce section of a large grocery retailer when a defective produce sprinkler sprayed water on the floor. Plaintiff sustained severe knee injury that led to multiple surgeries.
  • $400,000 Settlement for severe ankle and foot fractures from a fall off an unsecured ladder while attempting to board a fishing vessel in dry dock.
  • $400,000 Settlement for injury to cruise ship passenger when cruise line failed to monitor sauna and passenger lost consciousness.
  • $399,496 Verdict in favor of a construction worker in Eastern Washington for knee injury that resulted from the unsafe operation of a forklift.
  • $380,799 Verdict for chief engineer on tug following lower back injury while repairing an unseaworthy appliance on the tug.
  • $380,000 Settlement in favor of injured Washington State Ferry employee who was hit in the chest with a mooring line.
  • $350,000 Injury on a tug boat caused by an unsafe fixed ladder resulting in hip replacement.
  • $305,000 Verdict in favor of fish processor for knee injury sustained when a box fell off a conveyor belt in Dutch Harbor.
  • $300,000 Settlement in unguarded ladder claim involving cervical and thoracic burst fractures.
  • $300,000 Settlement in maritime / Jones Act injury claim involving loss of three toes.
  • $300,000 Verdict in favor of an oil barge tankerman who suffered injury as a result of barge owner's failure to adequately mark an angle iron which supported spill rail on the oil barge.
  • $295,226 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry concessionaire who suffered lumbar spine injury with resulting fusion as a result of attempting to loosen beer keg tap which was frozen in closed position.
  • $290,000 Settlement for injured construction worker who fell through an unmarked hole in the floor that was covered with an unsecured piece of plywood.
  • $289,000 Verdict against American Seafoods Company for knee injury to fish processor caused by unsafe conveyor belt.
  • $280,621 Verdict in premises liability case involving meniscus tear in the knee.
  • $260,000 Settlement for electrical death caused to concrete pump truck driver on a construction site.
  • $255,000 Back injury to tug worker attempting to correct an unsafe condition caused by a hydraulic fluid leak.
  • $255,000 Injury to shoulder of Washington State ferry employee from unsafe tie-up line.
  • $250,000 Arm fracture to deckhand working on factory trawler in the Bering Sea.
  • $250,000 Head and neck injury to a cruise ship employee hit by an object falling from an upper deck.
  • $250,000 Back injury to fish processor when he slipped and fell down defective stairs on vessel.
  • $250,000 Settlement with Washington State ferries for injury to able- bodied seaman's shoulder, neck, and upper back while attempting to pull a stuck car block out from a vehicle on the car deck.
  • $230,000 Settlement for driver who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury following a head-on collision
  • $225,000 Shoulder injury to ferry worker after slipping on oil.
  • $220,000 Settlement for injured tug chief engineer who was hit with a parted tow wire and sustained a mild traumatic brain injury.
  • $200,000 Settlement against U.S. Navy for injury to welder who stepped into an unguarded hole in the flight deck of a naval destroyer.
  • $200,000 Fractures to the foot of a deckhand working on a factory trawler when object fell on foot.
  • $200,000 Settlement for bicycle rider who sustained pelvic fractures when dog knocked him off bicycle.
  • $200,000 Settlement for tug mate who sustained a lower back injury while attempting to pull a line stuck in a bow pud.
  • $200,000 Settlement for combi on a fishing vessel who sustained severe foot fractures when a large engine part was negligently dropped on his foot by co-workers.
  • $186,514 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry ordinary seaman who suffered knee injury tripping on a mat which had corner curled upward resulting in trip hazard.
  • $175,000 Settlement for wrist fracture caused by head-on motor vehicle collision.
  • $175,000 Settlement for a passenger on a cruise ship who sustained a serious knee and neck injury when she fell on broken plates that were not properly secured in bad weather.
  • $162,500 Settlement in favor of fisherman injured when he was stabbed by another member of the crew.
  • $150,000 Settlement for engineer on a tender vessel who sustained eye injury when a marine battery exploded in his face.
  • $135,000 Settlement for ankle fracture in motor vehicle collision.
  • $125,000 Settlement with Washington State Ferries following right shoulder injury while attempting to secure a rescue boat.
  • $100,000 Multiple rib fractures sustained by motorcyclist in a motor vehicle collision.
  • $88,000 Settlement for leg fracture involving an unguarded conveyor belt.
  • $88,000 Settlement for leg fracture involving an unguarded conveyor belt.

Contact Us

Kraft Palmer Davies, PLLC
1001 Fourth Avenue
Suite 4131
Seattle, WA 98154

Phone: 206-624-8844
Toll Free: 800-448-8008
Fax: 206-624-2912
Seattle Law Office

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