What is a Boom Lift?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a boom lift as “A device consisting of a power-driven endless belt moving in one direction only, and provided with steps or platforms and handholds attached to it for the transportation of personnel from floor to floor.” Boom lifts are used for a wide variety of jobs including servicing telephone poles, picking fruit from high branches, window cleaning and painting.
What’s the Problem?
Boom lift accidents account for the majority of aerial lift deaths, according to OSHA. These deaths may occur due to the worker being ejected from the bucket, electrocution, crushing injuries, collapses, and tip-overs.
Boom Lift Accident Liability
Worker’s compensation law shields employers from liability for negligence if they provide their employees with worker’s compensation. However, there are many circumstances where someone else may be liable for injuries resulting from a boom lift accident, such as if:
- The lift is defective
- The fall protection used is defective
- The employer is negligent and fails to offer worker’s compensation
- An employee of another company’s negligence causes the accident
- The employer is grossly negligent regardless of providing worker’s compensation
Defective Boom Lift Crushes Construction Worker in North Carolina
A master electrician was severely injured by a defective boom lift while installing ceiling lights at a big box retail store in North Carolina, according to a recent lawsuit. On the day the accident occurred, the Plaintiff and another worker entered the platform of the lift and began ascending toward the ceiling. As the platform approached the ceiling, Plaintiff found that the lift’s “stop” function was not working. This resulted in the lift pressing both men into the ceiling, causing them to sustain severe crushing injuries. The suit alleges that the rental company failed to adequately inspect the lift before renting it to the Plaintiff.
Genie Boom Lift Recall
The NHTSA announced in Dec. 2020 that Gene Industries is recalling 2020 TZ-34 and TZ-50 trailer mounted boom lifts that were equipped with chassis bolts which may have been under tightened. A loose bearing may affect the stability of affected lifts, increasing the risk of personal injury, NHTSA said. Genie’s number for this recall is Issue 240.
Do I Have a Boom Lift Accident Class Action Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Boom Lift Accident Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
If you or a loved one was injured in a boom lift accident, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.