Florida Construction Accident Lawyer: Sean M. Cleary

Road construction zones, especially here in Florida, present a deadly hazard for motorists, pedestrians, and workers. This hazard is brought about by high-speed limits, widespread traffic congestion, and impatient drivers. The majority of victims killed are drivers or passengers; however, 15% are non-motorists, including pedestrians, bikers, and construction workers. Common accidents include rear-end crashes, sideswipe collisions, and fixed object collisions.

Active construction or maintenance zones will have roadway signs in advance to warn motorists when they enter and leave the work zone. Construction zones, also called "Cone Zones," are portions of a highway marked by cones, barrels, and signs. Some work zones can have a speed-monitoring device that alerts motorists of their speed. Even though they are marked and signposted as areas where motorists must slow down and drive with extra caution, many drivers speed up to get through the construction area as quickly as possible.

We help residents in Florida who have been injured in road construction zones due to:

• Inadequate signage and lighting
• Improperly posted cones
• Debris or equipment left on the roadway
• Open manholes
• Sudden, unexpected detours
• Uneven road surfaces
• Improper merging
• Improperly marked or uneven lanes
• Collisions with equipment or vehicles
• Construction crews
• Distracted driving
• Failure to follow work zone signs
• Speeding traffic
• Forcing access to a work zone

If you were the victim of an auto accident that occurred within a work zone and sustained serious injuries, it is imperative that you seek legal representation. At The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary, we have experience handling a variety of auto accident cases, including those in which safety companies failed to include proper signs, lights, and cleanups, and acted negligently and carelessly. Sean Cleary, a Miami-based personal injury lawyer, can provide you with a free case evaluation and answer any questions or concerns you might have.

Each year, over 20K workers are injured in road construction work zones, and over 100 workers lose their lives while working on highway projects, accounting for more than 1.5% of all work-related fatalities. Injuries and fatalities can be caused by:

• Contact with objects or equipment
• Slips, trips, or falls
• Overexertion
• Transportation incidents
• Runovers or backovers
• Collision between vehicles
• Being caught between equipment and objects
• Being struck by equipment and objects

Our Miami-based attorney handled numerous road construction accident cases and has a proven track record of success in winning results for injured workers in all Florida courts.

Due to both their use and their size, cranes are responsible for more accidents than any other piece of heavy equipment and pose a potential danger to all employees at a construction site. This includes the driver, other workers, and other individuals at a site.

Most crane accidents could be prevented, but construction companies and employers sometimes neglect to adequately train their employees on how to properly operate these machines, ignore mandatory inspections and maintenance, or follow the safety protocols necessary to maintain a safe environment.Some of the most common types of crane accidents are caused by:

• Boom or crane contact with energized power lines
• Operator error
• Lack of proper training
• Unsafe working conditions
• Overloaded crane
• Overturned cranes
• Dropped loads
• Improper crane selection
• An unstable or uneven surface
• Poor crane setup
• Electrocution
• Objects falling from a crane
• A crane part coming loose
• Being hit by the crane boom itself
• Crane collapse
• Being run over by a crane
• Worker getting caught in the crane mechanisms
• Worker falling from the crane
• Failure to use a crane within the manufacturer's specifications

The workers involved in crane fatalities are construction laborers, electricians, welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, and crane and tower operators.

Companies are more concerned with cutting corners to increase profits than with taking the extra time to ensure safety, posing a significant risk to all employees and workers at the construction site. Injured individuals may also be able to file third-party personal injury lawsuits against a subcontractor, supplier, or visitor to the site who can be shown to be responsible for the crane accident.

If you have been injured in a construction accident, contact The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary for a free consultation with our experienced construction accident attorney, and let us help you recover from the medical costs and loss of work these accidents can cause. We'll take the time to review your case thoroughly, analyze all accident and injury reports, and do further investigations as needed to determine which parties are liable.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the number one cause of death among construction workers who are on the job. Construction sites can be hazardous, to begin with, but scaffolding offers an additional opportunity for severe personal injury.

When scaffolding accidents have catastrophic consequences, you may be left unable to work and requiring long-term medical treatment. Sean Cleary is experienced in dealing with scaffolding and other construction site accidents and will work to get you the compensation you will require to get through this difficult time.

Common causes of scaffolding accidents:

• Slip and falls
• Inadequate training
• No guard rails
• No side brackets
• No base plate
• Unsafe harnesses
• Defective planks
• Missing parts
• Improper construction

Injuries sustained from scaffolding accidents can almost always interfere with your working ability in the long term. Common injuries caused by scaffolding accidents are:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Broken bones
• Death

Unsafe working conditions all too often cause these injuries, and it is the responsibility of the employer to cover the damages. However, in many cases, the medical bills and inability to work cause a tremendous financial burden on you and your family, and these costs are often not sufficiently covered by the employer’s insurance.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a scaffolding accident, please contact the experienced construction accident attorney at The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary for a free initial consultation.

Run-over is a type of struck-by accident, which accounts for 9.8% of all construction deaths, and “backing” presents one of the greatest risks to construction workers who are working on foot. The physical damage received in such accidents is almost always debilitating and often fatal. Immediate damages will require medical assistance, but the long-term effects of these injuries can prove financially and emotionally draining for both the victims and their families.

We are prepared to help victims of all construction site accidents get their lives back on track by providing the legal representation necessary to determine fault and receive full compensation.

Due to the size of the lifts, the cranes, and the trucks used in construction, the injuries sustained in this type of accident often exceed those of being run over by a car. There are many types of injuries that workers sustain if they are run over by equipment, which include the following:

• Broken bones
• Internal bleeding
• Punctured organs
• Spinal cord injury
• Paralysis
• Death

Many of these injuries can take a significant time to heal. This is a time when you will not be able to work and may require extensive medical treatment. The associated financial losses can place undue strain on you and your family. The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary can help ensure those costs are covered and help alleviate your financial concerns.

Finding out who is to blame for construction site accidents is a difficult process. Perhaps the driver was careless, was improperly trained, or was required to operate the machinery under unsafe conditions. In some cases, the equipment itself was faulty. With so many contractors and companies involved, you can be sure that blame will be passed, and with the inclusion of insurance companies, determining fault will become more and more difficult.

Roofers and helpers are six times more at risk for fatal on-the-job accidents than the average worker, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Many fatalities and catastrophic injuries occur every year from roofing accidents on construction sites.

Most of these accidents are avoidable, often caused by unsafe working conditions or the negligence of others. Sean Cleary, a construction accident attorney, has years of experience in helping workers injured on construction sites get the compensation they deserve.

The hazards roofers must face include the constant slope, which is hard on the joints and muscles, power tools, and asphalt. Because of these, roofers may suffer serious injuries, including:

• Head trauma and brain injuries
• Broken and shattered bones
• Back injuries and spinal damage
• Internal organ damage & hemorrhaging
• Burns
• Foot and ankle problems
• Knee injuries
• Hand and finger injuries

Each year, scores of injuries befall roofers because of roofing accidents caused by such things as:

• Lack of safety equipment
• Roof collapse
• Ladder falls
• Falling objects or debris
• Scaffolding collapse and malfunctions
• Slip and fall from the roof
• Electrocution 
• Hot bitumen

When you are injured on the job, you have the right to seek compensation for your losses. When an injury results in death, the family has the right to seek compensation in a wrongful death suit. In either case, we are prepared to help you receive the full amount you are due.

Workers may be able to hold a contractor or owner liable if they failed to provide proper safety equipment or a safe environment. Some of the things contractors and owners might do that would make them liable include failing to:

• Provide safety equipment
• Ensure a ladder is safe to use
• Properly tie off a ladder
• Put safety barriers where necessary

If you or a loved one has sustained injuries from a roofing accident on a construction site, please contact the experienced construction accident attorney at The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary for a free consultation and overview of your rights.

Every day, welders are exposed to intense heat and risk a long list of serious injuries:

• Because gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) produces temperatures of up to 11K degrees Fahrenheit, a welder's iron rods and iron rod particles are particularly damaging if they come in contact with skin.
• A dropped welding torch can cause a full-thickness hot metal slag burn injury, requiring an immediate trip to the emergency room.
• Exposure to fumes and chemicals is also a risk to welders because the process uses toxic gases and hazardous vapors such as carbon dioxide, which can cause neurological damage if inhaled. Too often, welder workstations are not properly ventilated with extractor fans, causing welders to become dizzy or disoriented.
• Fires and explosions can also occur due to compressed gases being close to the arc flame.
• Arc-eye is another welding danger, which occurs when the ultraviolet light of the arc burns and inflames the cornea, causing severe eye damage, and sometimes blindness.
• Though helmets with magnetic shields are intended to protect eyes from damaging UV light, welders often develop cataracts, even with the best protective welding gear.
• Welders can also be electrocuted if they accidentally touch the electrode and workpiece, particularly in wet or damp conditions, due to the constant current power supply that is conducted across the arc through the metal vapors and ionized gas known as plasma.

Foremen of construction sites and the controlling parent companies all have the responsibility to protect their workers. If safety does not come first and proper procedures are not encouraged and enforced by management and higher-ups, welding accidents can become common. Equipment and machines can fail due to a lack of maintenance as well.

To maximize compensation, it's wise to contact an experienced welding accident lawyer. As a construction accident lawyer serving Miami residents for almost 20 years, we are prepared to put resources and experience to work for welding accident victims.

If you are a welder injured on the job, let The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary fight for your rights. You shouldn't suffer for the hard work you do every day, and we're here to make sure you get the restitution you deserve.

Tens of thousands of people are seriously harmed on construction sites every year. The leading causes of death on construction sites also are some of the leading causes of injuries. Partial or complete paralysis may result from crush or damage caused to the spinal cord by falls and other mishaps. Loss of sensation and movement in the legs, trunk, arms, and hands varies depending upon the severity and location of the injury.

Falls from Great Heights

Falls are both frequent accidents on construction sites and a common cause of spinal cord trauma and paralysis. Construction workers perform their jobs on ladders, scaffolding, roofs, cranes, and other structures that place them above the ground, often high above the ground. Falls are quite common and these pose substantial risks for injuries. When people suffer injury to a higher part of the spinal cord, the results are catastrophic. People with quadriplegia need personal care around the clock and assistance with basic activities such as dressing and eating. Injuries to the lower cervical vertebrae or thoracic vertebrae can result in paraplegia, irreparably affecting movement and nerve sensation in the lower body and legs. Victims with paraplegia may be confined to a wheelchair or may learn to drive a modified car.

Struck-by Hazards

Every year on construction sites, thousands of people are struck by falling objects, tools, and heavy machinery, such as crane loads and forklifts, causing incapacitating injury and death. Heavy machines or falling objects can easily damage the spinal column through a severe blow to the neck or back, culminating in permanent or temporary loss of function.

Examples of struck-by accidents that can result in paralysis:

• Struck by crane parts or loads. The misuse or failure of heavy machinery can result in paralyzing injuries.
• Fallen objects, tools, or machinery. Just as construction workers perform their jobs high above the ground, those working high above can drop objects on and seriously injure workers performing their jobs on the ground below.
• Collapsing structures. Construction frequently involves digging tunnels and trenches. These may put workers in hazardous situations, where a collapse can result in crushing injuries leading to paralysis.
• Hit by a forklift, backhoe, or road grader. Individuals are at risk of large vehicles backing over them, trapping them between moving vehicles or a moving vehicle and a stationary object, or otherwise crushing them.