Forklift and Backhoe Accidents

Forklifts move millions of tons of freight, packages, pallets and construction materials around the country. But forklifts, which are also known as powered industrial trucks, cause about 34,900 serious accidents a year and about 85 fatal accidents, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates. Workers who operate or work near forklifts may be struck or crushed by the load being handled.

At Munley, Munley & Cartwright, we focus on helping people who have suffered serious injuries and deaths in construction accidents, including forklift and backhoe accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured, call us toll free at 877-421-9173 or contact us online for a free consultation regarding your accident.

Federal job safety standards require that operators of industrial forklifts and other lift-type trucks be properly trained. Those federal standards also prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from driving a forklift.  But investigations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have found that many workers and employers may not be aware of the risks of operating or working near forklifts and are not following procedures set forth by federal standards.

Many factory workers are injured when forklifts are inadvertently driven off loading docks or other surfaces and overturn. Forklift overturns represent about 25 percent of all forklift-related deaths. Other serious injuries occur when forklifts strike factory employees or fall from tractor-trailer ramps.

Backhoes are also useful tools on construction sites and on farms, where accidents are often tragic. Hitting an object such as a ditch, stump or hole can cause a backhoe to overturn or cause the operator to fall off and be run over. 

More than 5,000 fatal work injuries occurred in the United States in 2008, according to federal statistics. Construction equipment operators were among the categories of workers with the highest number of fatal injuries in 2008, the most recent year of complete data, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a forklift or backhoe accident, you may be entitled to compensation to help pay your medical bills and cover your lost wages.  It’s important to consult an attorney who is experienced at handling forklift and backhoe accidents.

At Munley, Munley & Cartwright, our goal is to provide exceptional legal service to our clients, and the results show in the compensation we have been able to obtain. If you have been seriously injured in a forklift or backhoe accident, call our office toll free at 877-421-9173 or contact us online to learn more about your legal rights and options.