Injuries sustained in a fall can be very serious. Back injuries, head injuries, and broken bones can keep you out of work and stop you from being able to perform everyday tasks. In some cases, your injuries might be severe enough to include permanent disabilities that might affect you for the rest of your life, especially if you suffered a long fall injury.
For help seeking coverage for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras. Our Baltimore attorneys for fall from heights injuries represent victims of serious accidents and injuries, and we work to get them the compensation they need. For a free legal consultation, call us today at (410) 694-7291.
Suing for Injuries from Long Falls from Heights in Maryland
If you fall from a high height, you might suffer substantial injuries. These injuries could lead to expensive medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering that you need compensation for. While workers’ compensation insurance, homeowners insurance, or other insurance coverage might help to cover the damages you suffer in some cases, others might be so severe that insurance will not be enough. In these cases, it is best to turn to the help of a personal injury lawyer who can help you understand what your case is worth and file your case in court.
Damages
A lawsuit for personal injury can help you recover the full damages you suffered in your accident. This can mean coverage for medical bills and lost wages as well as damages for pain and suffering – something that insurance claims usually do not cover. When you seek these damages in court, you are entitled to claim them at their full value, even if an insurance claim would have normally limited them to a certain percentage.
Proving Your Case
To succeed in a lawsuit, you must prove that the at-fault parties were “negligent.” Negligence is shown by providing evidence that they did something that breached a legal duty they owed you. Property owners have a duty to keep their property reasonably safe for guests, employers have a duty to provide adequate training and safety gear, and schools and other caregivers have a duty to provide reasonable supervision in place of a parent. If a breach of one of these duties led you to fall or led your child to suffer injuries, the property owner, supervisor, or caregiver that allowed the injury to occur could be held liable for all damages.
Settling a Claim
Injury lawsuits are often settled out of court. If you accept an insurance payout, this also usually functions as a settlement. Settlements typically block you from changing your mind and pursuing your case in court after you already accept the settlement. This means that it is important to have a lawyer review any settlement offers to ensure that they cover all of your needs. If they do not, we can pursue your case in court instead.
Types of Accidents Involving Falls from Heights in Maryland
There are many ways that someone could fall from a high place and suffer serious injuries. Most of these accidents occur because there was something wrong with the property. Other accidents happen because there was something wrong with the safety gear involved in an activity like climbing a ladder. Yet other accidents occur because of negligent supervision over children.
Accidents from property defects can cover any falls due to collapses or structural damage. Each spring, decks and other outdoor wooden structures become susceptible to collapses caused by swelling and contracting throughout the winter. Additionally, balconies, stages, catwalks, and other elevated levels in stores, restaurants, or clubs could suffer from dangerous structural issues that property owners should be aware of. Lastly, handrails and banisters are necessary to keep people from falling over the edge or an elevated surface, and a failure to install safe railings or make sure that railings are safe enough to bear weight could cause one of these to collapse.
Problems with safety gear and tools could lead to serious accidents, especially in the workplace. If you used a broken or defective ladder or you did not have safety harnesses or lines to keep you from falling, you could be seriously injured. If these injuries occurred at someone else’s house or while you were working as an independent contractor, you might be entitled to sue the party who provided you with the defective or deficient equipment. Similarly, if you were not given proper training for how to stay safe at high heights, your employer might have violated OSHA regulations or other laws requiring proper training.
One of the other major causes of falls from heights is negligent supervision by someone responsible for a child. Kids can be injured in falls from monkey bars or other playground equipment, falls after climbing a tree, or falls from unsafe treehouses. Children and teenagers could also climb on ladders or roofs, potentially suffering serious injuries if they fall. Teachers, babysitters, nannies, daycare workers, and friends’ parents are responsible for the children under their supervision. If they failed to stop children from doing dangerous activities or provide them with safe equipment to play with, they could be held liable for the child’s injuries.
Call Our Maryland Attorney for Injuries Sustained in Falls from High Places
If you or a loved one was hurt in a fall off a ladder, a fall caused by a broken railing, or a fall on the playground, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras today. Our Baltimore attorney for fall from heights injuries might be able to take your case and fight to get you the compensation you and your family need to cover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. In the event of a death from a long fall, our lawyers may be able to help you recover other damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. Call us today at (410) 694-7291 to schedule a free case consultation.