Were you hurt by a falling object on someone else’s property? There’s never a good reason for something falling and hitting you, whether you’re walking down the sidewalk, at work, or shopping. Anyone who works or any business that stores products at heights need to make sure their objects are secure. But all it takes is one person being careless for a wrench to fall from a scaffold or a large box to tip off the top shelf and strike you.
After getting medical care, you should contact a personal injury attorney from Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., to learn about your options. We’ll talk with you about who is liable for your injuries and how to win compensation. You can reach us through our online form or call (312) 236-2900 to set up your free initial consultation.
Common Injuries from Falling Objects in Chicago
Lacerations
Depending on the size, weight, and shape of the object, it can cause severe lacerations to your skull, face, and body. You might be concerned with scarring, and facial lacerations might require an experienced plastic surgeon’s hand.
Soft Tissue Injuries
A falling object can cause a ligament sprain or a muscle or tendon strain. These tissue injuries can heal in time. The most severe cases require surgery and physical therapy.
Concussions
If you’re struck in the head by a falling object, you could sustain a mild traumatic brain injury, better known as a concussion. A blow to the head can temporarily alter brain function. Most people fully recover from concussions in weeks or months, but concussions can have a long-term negative impact on your health.
Serious Traumatic Brain Injuries
Heavy objects or small objects falling from a significant height can cause a moderate to severe TBI. The more severe a TBI, the more likely you are to suffer long-term or permanent side effects. You might experience personality changes, mental health issues, headaches, sensory issues, language and speech problems, and more. Severe TBIs can lead to a coma, a vegetative state, and death.
Neck and Back Injuries
The blow from the falling object and the resulting fall can cause you neck and back injuries, including soft tissue injuries, herniated discs, and broken vertebrae. More significant back injuries can result in years of pain and discomfort.
Broken Bones
A falling object often causes the victim to fall to the ground. You could break a wrist, arm, hip, or other bones. Many bone fractures can heal in time, but more critical breaks might require screws, plates, surgery, and physical therapy.
Spinal Cord Injuries
In the most severe falling object injuries, the blow to your body or the fall could cause a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury. This not only leads to paralysis and loss of sensation, but also incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and many other physical and mental health consequences.
Where Falling Object Accidents Happen
- Worksites: Workers and visitors to worksites can be injured by falling materials and tools. These can range from small parts to large, heavy metal objects. Pedestrians also are at risk of being hurt by falling objects when they walk past a construction site.
- Warehouses: Warehouses use up all available space, including storing loose and boxed products high up on shelves and platforms. Improperly stored products or unsecured products can fall on workers.
- Retailers: Workers and customers can be injured if products aren’t correctly placed on shelves in a store.
- Boats: Everything on a boat needs to be adequately secured to avoid moving around and falling. Visitors on a boat can be injured if an object isn’t secured and falls from above them.
Why Falling Object Accidents Happen
Objects, materials, and tools fall for several reasons. A common issue is stacking boxes or other objects too high. A tower of objects that reaches above the average person’s height might become unstable and topple over.
Another issue is improperly securing objects stored at heights. A worker might fail to use security measures, or retail stores might not use anything to restrain a product physically. In this case, workers must be certain products are fully resting on the shelf and over an edge.
But poorly trained or unsupervised workers might get careless and leave products in unstable positions on the shelves. If you were hurt by a falling object, one of our personal injury attorneys would get to the bottom of what happened and why.
We’ve also handled cases where objects fall because of defective equipment, like a forklift or crane. If the equipment lifting and moving an object fails, the object could fall a significant distance onto workers below.
Identifying Who Is Liable for Falling Object Injuries
If you were injured by a falling object, talk with our team about who is liable. We’ll work to identify whose negligence caused the object to fall. We might be able to identify a specific worker, but not always. What’s more important is identifying who owns the property where you were hurt. When a falling object harms you on another party’s residential or commercial property, you might be able to hold the owner responsible under Illinois premises liability law.
All property owners have a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances. They are required to take reasonable steps to protect their guests, customers, clients, and other people who have permission to be on the premises from harm. Reasonable steps would include making sure tools, materials, and products at heights are used correctly or secured to prevent them from falling on people below.
Also, if you’re injured by a falling object at a store, there are other ways the business might be liable. The business might be vicariously liable for a negligent employee. It also might have negligently trained or supervised the employee.
Falling Object Accidents at Work
If you were injured by a heavy object falling on you at work, talk with our team about workers’ compensation benefits. If you’re covered by workers’ compensation insurance, you have to pursue these benefits. You can’t sue your employer. But, if someone from outside of your employer caused the falling object, then you also might have a third-party liability claim.
Do You Have Questions About a Falling Object Injury in Illinois?
If you got hurt because of a falling object, never hesitate to ask a lawyer about your rights and options. You might not be sure of what to do at first. You might not know whether you have a legal claim and can demand compensation. We’re here to listen to your story, review the facts, and recommend what you should do next. We’ll give you an honest evaluation of whether you can and should pursue compensation.
To schedule a free consultation at Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., send us your information through the online form or call (312) 236-2900.
