What goes up must come down. It’s the law of gravity. But when objects suddenly come down in an uncontrolled manner, even the smallest objects can accumulate enough velocity to cause serious injuries and even death.
Objects that fall from a great height and strike unsuspecting people below are a leading cause of workplace injuries and death. Falling objects are also a risk to people in public areas. Everyone understands the simple principle of gravity, but not everyone takes the proper precautions to secure items when working at height or storing items at height. Gravity alone can’t take all the blame. In almost all cases, human error is at fault for fallen object accidents.
Figuring out why an object fell from height, and who’s at fault, requires a careful investigation of numerous factors. Parties may try to shift blame and even blame the victim. Morgan & Morgan’s fallen object lawyers know how to build a strong case that cuts through excuses and evasions. You can trust us, America’s largest injury law firm, to handle the most complex cases. Schedule a free case review to discuss a falling object injury or death case.
Look Out Below: Dropped and Fallen Objects Are a Serious Danger
Gravity is a simple principle that can have some unintuitive effects. You may remember learning in school that all objects, regardless of their mass, fall at the same rate. That means a bowling ball and a feather fall at the same speed (in a vacuum, at least).
Another effect of gravity is that small objects dropped from height accumulate significant force. For example, a tape measure dropped from a height of 500 feet has the same energy as a baseball thrown at 216 mph. That’s easily enough force to maim or kill someone standing below. In fact, a tape measure dropped from a high-rise building construction easily has enough force to kill a worker.
The physics of falling objects explains why dropped objects on worksites cause so many fatalities and injuries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dropped objects are the third-leading cause of injuries on job sites, resulting in close to 50,000 injuries per year (approximately 5% of all workplace injuries) in addition to around 200 – 300 deaths.
Falling object deaths are particularly prevalent in construction, where they account for roughly 10% of deaths in the industry. The issue is one of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” causes of construction deaths. However, fallen objects are a risk in other settings, including:
- Merchandise falling from a store shelf onto customers or employees
- Falling object warehouse accidents
- Debris that falls from a construction site and injures pedestrians
- Objects dropped from a window onto the street or sidewalk
- Items falling from a moving vehicle
- Falling objects in the office, including items stored at height, office supplies left on window ledges and shelves and tipped office equipment
- Tools, equipment, and other equipment dropped from a height on non-construction job sites, such as factories, mining and fracking operations, logging/forestry sites, utility companies, and steel and iron mills
- Falling objects at public events, such as concerts, festivals, trade shows, fairs, and sporting events
- Dropped object injuries and fatalities that occur on the job site could qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Usually, workers’ comp is the only remedy for on-the-job injuries, but depending on the circ*mstances, it may be possible to file a third-party lawsuit as well. While personal injury lawsuits cannot be filed against your employer or co-worker, they can be filed against third parties (e.g., subcontractors).
Morgan & Morgan can identify every source of compensation for your claim and fight to recover everything you’re entitled to. We’re America’s #1 injury firm for a reason (actually, for a lot of reasons).
Legal Help For Victims of Fallen Objects
The exact cause of a fallen object can be difficult to determine. Nobody may want to own up to a mistake. They might fear legal repercussions and their potential financial costs. But at least one thing is certain in these cases: the person struck by a fallen object is an innocent victim who deserves compensation.
For more than 30 years, Morgan & Morgan has fought to protect people who suffer preventable injuries. In that time, we’ve recovered more than $7 billion for our clients and earned the respect of our opponents. We never back from a legal fight and we never accept lowball settlement offers.
If you are a construction worker or pedestrian who has suffered an injury from a falling object, or the family member of an individual who lost their lives in a falling object accident, Morgan & Morgan is here to help. Share your story and get help during a free case review.
