Falling objects at construction sites can cause a considerable amount of harm to workers. A construction accident involving a falling object recently happened in another state, South Dakota.
The accident occurred at the site of a store expansion project. One of the things the project involves is somewhat unusual for a store expansion project, the building of a Ferris wheel.
Last Wednesday, a construction crew was working on the construction of the Ferris wheel. As part of this work, the crew raised, with a pulley and rope, an electric motor that was going to be installed in the Ferris wheel. While the motor was about 15 feet up, a pulley failure occurred and the motor fell. Two construction workers were hit by pieces of the motor. One was struck in the leg and the other was struck in the shoulder. Both of these workers suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital after the accident. Their injuries are non-life-threatening.
Being hurt on the job can have many negative impacts on a construction worker’s life. It is important to note that, when a construction worker suffers a work accident here in Illinois, the worker may be entitled to a variety of different forms of financial relief under the state’s workers’ compensation laws, such as: coverage of medical bills, compensation for the impacts of the injury and payment for time a person needed to take off due to the injury.
Now, figuring out what specific workers’ compensation benefits a person is entitled to in relation to a given workplace injury can be somewhat tricky, given the complexity of Illinois worker’s compensation laws. Thus, having the help of an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can be important for an injured worker. Such attorneys can help determine what a given injured worker’s rights are under the workers’ compensation system and can fight to ensure that these rights are met.
Source: The Argus Leader, “Two injured after motor falls during Ferris wheel construction at Scheels,” March 5, 2014
