Ladder accidents are a leading cause of avoidable injury on construction sites across the nation. While New York has ladder education programs and safety regulations in place, it hasn’t stopped workers from suffering serious, often life-changing, injuries on the job. The types of injuries a construction worker is most likely to sustain in a ladder accident can be affected by:
- The type of ladder accident in which they’re involved
- The worker’s age and overall health
- The type of ladder being used, and
- Whether the ladder was defective or malfunctioning
All of these things can contribute to slipping and falling while climbing a ladder, falling off of a ladder, being struck by objects that fall from a ladder, or ladder collapse accidents. Here, our New York ladder accident lawyers break down six of the most common injuries workers suffer in construction accidents in the city every year.
Broken Bones
Bone fractures account for more than one-third of all ladder accident injuries, often caused by worker falls. Most ladder-related fractures affect a worker’s hands, arms, or legs. Workers who fall from considerable heights are also susceptible to more severe injuries, including skull fractures, broken ribs, and broken vertebrae. These fractures are often much more serious because they can cause secondary trauma to internal organs and, in some cases, cause uncontrolled internal bleeding.
The greater the distance of the fall, the more catastrophic a worker’s fracture injuries are likely to be. However, even falls of less than 15 feet can cause considerable harm, forcing a worker to incur costly medical bills and miss time at work.
Head Injuries
Ladder accidents, particularly falls, can cause serious head injuries, including:
- Concussions
- Diffuse axonal injuries
- Contusions
- Hematomas
- Hemorrhages, and
- Severe traumatic brain injuries
Research suggests that ladder-related head injuries aren’t just common; they’re often catastrophic. Workers who fall from ladders while working, slip while carrying objects up or down a ladder, or are struck by a falling ladder are at risk of sustaining head injuries.
Back and Neck Injuries
Back and neck injuries – including vertebral compression fractures, herniated discs, nerve damage, and whiplash – are common when workers fall backwards off of ladders on New York City construction sites. Falling on your back is more likely when a ladder isn’t secured properly or if it’s placed at an unsafe angle.
Internal Injuries
Falling from a ladder, even from low heights, can cause severe internal trauma if the force of impact is great enough. Internal injuries often caused by ladder accidents include:
- Internal bleeding
- Ruptured spleen
- Punctured lungs
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Kidney injury
- Liver damage
Internal trauma can be the result of a penetrating wound or blunt force trauma, depending on how a person falls and what they land on. Many times, internal trauma goes unnoticed. The shock of falling off of a ladder on a New York City construction site can mask signs and symptoms of internal injuries, allowing the trauma to worsen over time and increase the odds of permanent damage or death.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Ladder-related falls are a common cause of spinal cord injuries. The spinal cord becomes damaged as a person forcibly strikes the ground or another object.
The longer the fall, the more severe the spinal cord injury is likely to be.
Workers who sustain damage to the spinal cord in a ladder accident may be susceptible to paralysis injuries (depending on the level of the injury), neurological defects, limited mobility, and other potentially permanent complications.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Not all ladder accident injuries are catastrophic. However, even relatively minor injuries can still turn a worker’s life upside-down. Workers involved in ladder accidents are particularly susceptible to soft tissue injuries, including strains, sprains, and contusions. Soft tissue injuries can occur when a worker:
- Grabs hold of the rungs or side rails of a ladder while falling
- Forcibly makes contact with the ground after falling from a ladder
- Puts their foot through a broken rung while climbing a defective ladder
Soft tissue injuries can also manifest over time when a worker engages in repetitive motions, like climbing and descending a ladder. In these situations, the repetitive motion can potentially make certain soft tissue injuries more likely if the worker happens to slip or fall from the ladder.
The Platta Law Firm Can Help You Fight to Get Compensation for All of Your Ladder Accident Injuries
When used properly and safely, ladder accidents can often be avoided. However, many times, employers provide workers with defective or broken ladders, or fail to provide baseline training on safe ladder practices. In these situations, ladder accidents and ladder falls are much more likely to happen. The consequences can be catastrophic, especially when a ladder collapses or a worker falls from several stories up.
Whether you’ve sustained minor injuries or permanent damage because of a recent ladder accident in New York City, you deserve compensation. The Platta Law Firm can help you launch a powerful legal claim to secure damages for your medical care, loss of income, and other resulting damages.
Our ladder accident attorneys in New York City, NY, have over 150 combined years of experience and a multi-million-dollar track record of success. We don’t just win cases for our clients, we change lives and shape New York labor law in the process. Call our law office at (212) 514-5100 to learn more. Your first consultation with our personal injury law firm is free.
