Delaware Workplace Injuries: Falls from Heights

Experienced Delaware workers’ compensation attorneys fighting for the rights of injured employees from offices in Wilmington, Seaford, and Newark

Workplace accidents that cause injuries happen every day, causing workers to lose time at work and sometimes ending in a permanent disability. Because workers’ compensation is a no-fault disability system, an employee does not need to prove that their employer’s negligence caused their accident. All they must demonstrate is that the injury occurred during their course of their regular work tasks. Although there are many different types of injuries that can happen in the workplace, falling is one of the most common – and it can be one of the most serious, too.

At the law firm of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, you’ll find experienced Delaware workers’ compensation attorneys who have helped countless employees obtain the benefits they are entitled by law to receive after a worksite injury. With offices in Wilmington, Seaford and Newark, DE, we are close by to our clients in all three counties and available to them when they need us most. If you fell from a great height and have sustained an injury because of it, we can help you obtain the compensation you need to get well again.

Falls in the workplace

Falls from heights are injuries that you often see in the construction industry, which according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, suffers about 20 percent of all workplace fatalities in the U.S. in 2013. Falls, according to OSHA reports, caused 302 deaths in the construction industry in 2013, and 349 out of 874 total deaths in construction in 2014 were from falls – despite legal requirements for workplaces to use fall protection systems. Of the fall injuries that occur among workers, about 20 percent of them involve ladders according to the Centers for Disease Control. Approximately 81 percent of the fall injuries treated in the U.S. emergency rooms involve a ladder.

However, slip and fall injuries are suffered by almost every sector of occupations, and they represent one of the leading causes of workplace accidents. They are second only to motor vehicle accidents as a cause of workplace injuries and fatalities. Silverman, McDonald & Friedman represents workers in every industry in Delaware after a serious fall-related injury, including:

• Construction workers
• Maintenance workers
• Retail workers
• Health care
• Shipyard workers
• Office workers
• Educators
• Public safety workers, including fireman and law enforcement

Common injuries from falls in the workplace

A serious fall can lead to all sorts of temporary and permanent injuries. The most common include:

• Head injuries
• Traumatic brain injury
• Neck injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Broken bones
• Lacerations leading to permanent scarring
• Tissue damage
• Internal organ damage

Depending on the height of your fall, you could also crush part of your own body upon impact, necessitation the amputation of your limb. In the most tragic circumstances, a serious fall could lead to your death.

Workers’ compensation is available to workers who suffer falls on the job. If, however, the cause of the fall can be linked to defective equipment or machinery, a Delaware personal injury attorney may be able to file a third-party liability lawsuit to recover damages. This is why it is vital to work with an experienced law firm such as Silverman, McDonald & Friedman. We can make sure that every avenue is investigated and that you get the compensation you deserve.

Workers’ compensation attorneys protecting the rights of Delaware injured workers

The Delaware workers’ compensation lawyers of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman are dedicated to helping our clients obtain the maximum amount of benefits available to them under the law. You can reach us toll-free at 302-888-2900 or by filling out our contact form. Let us help you protect your family while you get on the path to recovery.