Maitland Loading & Unloading Injury Attorney
While a strict set of laws regulate how loading docks can be operated, not all employers follow the rules. And even if precautions are taken, mistakes happen. When it comes to loading and unloading accidents, mistakes can be life and limb-threatening. If you were hurt on the job as a result of a loading or unloading accident, or you were a customer at a store where such an accident happened, a Maitland loading & unloading injury attorney at The Hornsby Law Group can help you take the next steps toward financial recovery.
What is a Loading or Unloading Accident?
Loading docks are often high-paced, high-pressure work environments where a lot is going on at once. As a result, a lot can go wrong while loading or unloading a semi-truck or re-stocking a high shelving unit in a warehouse. A few examples include:
- Falling goods
- Falling pallets
- Forklift accidents
- Falling industrial shelving racks
- Falling from the loading dock to the ground (a fall from height)
- Crushing injuries
- Hit by the truck
- Overuse injuries
- Overloading the truck, causing the truck to topple over
- Hit by a pallet mover
Loading/Unloading: The Most At-Risk Workers
Anyone who works around a loading dock, drivers who loans and unload goods, and other workers who operate or work near heavy machinery such as forklifts are at risk of a loading and unloading accident. These workers include those in:
- Warehouses
- Trucking industry
- Hardware/home improvement retail stores
- Grocery and other commercial outlet stores
- Food warehouses
- Marine terminals
- Shipyards
- Wharves and piers
- Industrial plants
- Manufacturing
- Slaughterhouses
Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim
A workers’ compensation or workers’ comp claim allows an injured employee to quickly receive employer-paid medical care following the accident. In addition to paying for 100 percent of your medical expenses, workers’ compensation also pays up to two-thirds of your average weekly wages if you require time off work to heal. Wage replacement can be partial, if you can still do light duty, total, if you are fully disabled, and can range from temporary to permanent depending on your outcome.
Damages in a Maitland Loading or Unloading Personal Injury Claim
In some cases, an injured worker may be able to file a personal injury claim with their employer (and eventually a lawsuit if the claim does not result in fair compensation) if it can be proven that the employer’s actions, which caused the injury, were reckless in some way. If this is the case the employee can seek much more compensation than they would be able to in a workers’ compensation claim. Damages in personal injury claim include:
- Medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Full lost wages
- Full lost earning capacity due to disability
- Emotional distress
- Loss of joy of life
Call a Maitland Workplace Injury Attorney Today
If you were injured in a loading accident, we can help you seek compensation through the workers’ comp or personal injury claims process. Call the Maitland loading and unloading injury attorneys at The Hornsby Law Group today to schedule a free consultation.
