The legal team at Golitko & Daly has helped injured workers throughout the greater Indianapolis area. Lawsuits involving construction accidents require skilled attorneys like ours, attorneys who are well-versed in the ins and outs of workplace law.

We’ve previously covered a number of accidents involving heavy equipment at construction sites, including small vehicle accidents, accidents involving backhoes, and accidents involving bulldozers. We’d like to take this opportunity to consider accidents that involve excavators.

Excavator Accidents Can Be Extremely Serious

Given the size of excavators and their tasks at a work site, any kind of accident that involves excavators can be extremely serious, resulting in major injuries and even death. All people on a construction site need to be careful and exercise caution around these pieces of heavy equipment.

Excavators Can Fall Into Trenches and Holes

One of the potential accidents involving excavators that may occur is a fall or rollover into a trench, ditch, or hole. This can be extremely serious given how the bucket and arm can strike others as the vehicle falls, how people may be pinned beneath the excavator, and how the driver of the excavator can be thrown or injured inside the cab. The operator and anyone nearby is at risk of being seriously injured.

Excavators May Accidentally Strike or Run Over Workers

As the excavator is turning and doing its job, the arm and bucket require a wide clearance. If workers are too close to the excavator, they run the risk of being hit. The weight of the bucket and arm can be considerable, and major injuries can occur. Similarly, an excavator may run over workers if they are not visible to the operator in the cab.

Poor Training Can Cause Major Injuries to Occur

Driving and properly operating an excavator is not an easy matter. It’s important that people who are driving excavators are properly trained and that they have the necessary experience to accomplish the tasks that they are given.

Poor Maintenance or Neglect Makes Excavators Dangerous

Sometimes the issue isn’t the person operating the excavator or the other people at the worksite. If an excavator is not been properly maintained, vehicle failure and serious accidents are far more likely. This is why it’s important for all vehicles to be properly serviced, and any issues with heavy equipment should mean that the vehicle needs to be fixed before it can be used again.

Defects In Manufacturing Can Also Lead to Accidents

Makers of excavators may also be to blame for accidents occurring. If a defective part is present in an excavator or there is some fundamental flaw in design of the heavy equipment, the vehicle is dangerous and makes accidents of various kinds more likely.

How We Can Help You

The legal team at our law firm will fight diligently for injured workers if they are harmed as a result of any form of negligence. We will make sure managers of work sites and manufacturers of excavators are taken to task if their negligence contributed or directly caused an accident. Given the severity of these kinds of accidents, we will make sure you receive just compensation for any injuries sustained, as the repercussions can last a lifetime.

Contact Our Construction Accident Attorneys

For more information about what you can do following a serious heavy equipment accident at a construction site or industrial workplace, we encourage you to contact our construction accident and workplace injury law firm today. The lawyers of Golitko & Daly will fight diligently for you and all of your legal rights and entitlements.