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Atlanta Forklift Accident Lawyer

If you experienced an injury due to a forklift accident, the Atlanta forklift accident lawyers at Hasner Law PC can help. We have extensive experience in workplace accidents involving heavy machinery and equipment like forklifts, and we know what it will take for you to file a successful claim.

Contact our Atlanta law firm by calling today at (678) 888-4878 to speak with our team and get legal advice. Your first consultation is absolutely free.

How Hasner Law PC Can Help You After a Forklift Accident in Atlanta, GA

At Hasner Law PC our workers comp lawyers know how to ensure you have the best possible chance for recovering a full financial award. We stop at nothing to seek compensation for our clients’ losses. 

Your employer is responsible for maintaining and enforcing safety protocols for forklift operations and procedures. If they fail to do that, accidents occur and people like you get injured. Your employer should be held to account. We can help you do that.

When you hire us to represent you, here are just a few of the many tasks our Atlanta injury attorney will handle for you:

• Gather evidence regarding the accident, including medical documents, police reports, surveillance video, and testimony from eyewitnesses. 
• Examine the forklift and worksite conditions.
• Look into the company’s background for similar accidents and workers’ compensation cases.
• Consult with forklift manufacturers and other experts.
• Assist you in filing a claim for workers’ compensation if your employer is a subscriber
• Represent you on appeal if the insurance company denies your claim or the offer is insufficient
• Help you file a lawsuit against any third party whose negligence caused your accident

Hasner Law PC won’t let your employer or a third party get away with the harm you’ve suffered. Contact us to discuss your case with one of our workers’ compensation lawyers in Atlanta today.  

Forklift Safety Statistics

A forklift is a power-propelled truck that lifts, carries, pushes, pulls, and stacks heavy loads that cannot be moved manually. They’re sometimes called “tiny titans” because they can move easily between and among aisles and move at speeds of 18 miles per hour. Unfortunately, the damage these machines can do is anything but tiny.

Recent data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows the following: 

• 88 percent of the nearly 8000 non-fatal forklift injuries in 2018  happened to men and 12 percent to women.
• Operators aged 25-34 were victims of 1,700 non-fatal forklift injuries–the highest injured group in 2018.
• The warehouse, transportation, and utilities industries had the highest injury total over other industries with 5,390 forklift-related injury cases in 2018
• From 2011 to 2018, an average of 7.1 percent of workers missed work each year due to a forklift-related injury.

Forklift safety is a critical factor in reducing the number of injuries and deaths within certain industries. The forklift’s combined capabilities of lifting and moving-speed can create problems, especially without proper training. 

Forklift Accident Fatalities

The leading cause of fatalities from forklift accidents is the vehicle tipping over and trapping the victim underneath. This is followed by objects falling from the forklift and injuries to pedestrians.

Additional fatality stats from 2018:

• Forklift overturns are the cause of about 25 percent of deaths 
• 99 percent of all forklift fatalities were men 
• Death rates from forklift accidents were highest among those over 55 and under 64 year

With more consistent enforcement of OSHA in place, companies could prevent 70% of forklift accidents in the United States.

Causes of Forklift Accidents

Forklifts are commonplace in warehouses and on construction sites, and are capable of lifting and moving material weighing 5,000 to 50,000 pounds. While they’re incredibly useful, they’re also one of the most dangerous items on work sites. 

Forklift accidents happen for a multitude of reasons, but the following are most frequent:

• Operator distraction
• Insufficient operator experience and training
• Defective machinery or poor maintenance
• Inadequate warnings and hazard signs
• Moving at a high speed
• Turning improperly
• Load is unstable
• Workplace floor or site not designed for safety

Some accidents can happen no matter how safely employers and workers try to conduct themselves in the workplace. However, being aware of the common missteps, errors in judgment, and training issues can help prevent or at least reduce many of these accidents.

Types of Forklift Accidents and Injuries

The forklift is a complex piece of machinery with a dangerous, protruding fork. The damage it can do if it’s involved in an accident can be devastating.  

Most forklift accidents can be categorized as follows: 

• Forklift overturning
• Striking passenger vehicles in a roadway incident
• Falling object or loads 
• Fall from seat of forklift
• Caught in or crushed under the forklift or against another structure

• Employees or pedestrians hit by forklifts
• Using the forklift for unintended purposes such as lifting people

Injuries often sustained from these accidents include:

• Amputation
• Traumatic brain injury
• Broken bones
• Spinal cord damage
• Wrongful death

If you were injured by a forklift on the job and weren’t breaking the rules or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you should be able to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits if your employer is a subscriber.

Your Right to Compensation Under Georgia Law

Workers’ compensation is essentially an insurance program that employers use to cover costs related to workplace injuries. The state of Georgia requires that any business with three or more workers have workers’ compensation insurance. 

Workers’ compensation benefits typically cover costs for medical bills, lost income, and rehabilitation. If a third party’s negligence is what caused your accident, you can sue them directly for compensation as well. According to Georgia law, you can recover from a third party as long as you weren’t more than 49% to blame for the accident. 

Contact Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Atlanta Today

The legal issues related to workers’ compensation claims and third-party lawsuits can get quite complicated, which is why you shouldn’t try to handle it on your own. Our Atlanta forklift accident attorneys at Hasner Law PC are experienced in workplace accidents just like yours. 

From the date of injury, the law places a one-year time limit for filing workers’ compensation cases and a two-year time limit on personal injury lawsuits. You have no time to lose in getting started. 

Give our law office a call today to arrange a meeting to discuss your case. Your first consultation is absolutely free, and you pay nothing unless we win. 

Author

Stephen R. Hasner

Managing Partner at Hasner Law PC

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Stephen Hasner is the founder and managing partner of Hasner Law PC. Since being licensed in Florida in 1997 and in Georgia in 1999, Stephen has worked tirelessly to help Georgia residents navigate the legal process following a serious injury. This includes injuries sustained at work, in motor vehicle accidents, and in cases of personal injury. The team at Hasner Law is dedicated to securing compensation for their clients who have been injured through no fault of their own.