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Working on the interstate can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. Working in the air many feet above the interstate is even more dangerous, and it doesn’t take a Philadelphia Construction Accident Attorney to explain why it is likely for someone to be injured in that type of situation when another driver hits the worker’s vehicle.
This was the situation for one worker who was in the bucket of a lift truck suspended over traffic when a semi-tractor trailer hit the lift and the worker was thrown from the bucket. The injured construction worker was working on a bridge project and police believe that he was operating the lift truck from the air while attempting to cross a lane of traffic.
The lift operator was thrown from the bucket onto a grassy area nearby. He was transported to the hospital and then taken into the intensive care unit. According to police, his injuries did not appear to be life threatening, although they were serious. The accident remains under investigation, but it does not appear that alcohol played a role and no charges have been issued against the semi-truck driver.
Any Philadelphian injured on the job should report the incident to the employer as soon as possible. In most cases, the next step should be to file a worker’s compensation claim. However, when a workplace accident may be the fault of a third party, such as a negligent driver or the manufacturer of a defective product, injured workers should consider going beyond simply filing for worker’s compensation.
Worker’s compensation typically acts as a no-fault alternative to lawsuits between employees and employers. Worker’s compensation usually guarantees some amount of recovery for a workplace accident, regardless of who is to blame, but worker’s compensation awards are limited by law and may not be enough to fully compensate for the lifelong impact of an injury. When a third party is at fault for an accident, a construction accident lawsuit can help assure fair compensation for the victim.
Source: The Lima News, “Construction worker thrown from lift in Friday morning I-75 accident,” Sarah Stemen, Nov. 16, 2012