Crane Accident Attorney in Rockford

More Than 100 Years of Combined Experience for Complex Crane Claims

Crane collapses, dropped loads, and equipment failures can cause devastating injuries while raising overlapping workers’ compensation and personal injury issues. We handle construction accident claims involving serious jobsite injuries, investigate who controlled the work and equipment, and identify the legal options supported by the facts.

Our crane accident lawyers represent injured people and families in Rockford and throughout Northern Illinois. We examine employment relationships, contractor responsibilities, equipment condition, site control, and other factors that may determine whether more than one claim exists.

Call (815) 216-5911 for a free case evaluation. We can review the accident, your injuries, and the parties involved.

How Crane Accidents Happen

The severity of an injury doesn’t establish who is responsible. Determining liability requires an investigation into how the incident occurred, who performed each job, and who controlled the crane and surrounding work area.

Crane accident claims may involve:

• Crane collapses and tip-overs: Unstable ground, assembly problems, equipment failures, or load issues may cause a crane to overturn.
• Dropped or swinging loads: Suspended materials may shift, fall, or swing into a work area during lifting operations.
• Rigging failures: Defective or improperly used hooks, slings, wire rope, and other components may contribute to an accident.
• Struck-by injuries: Workers and bystanders may be hit by the crane, suspended material, or falling components.
• Electrical contact: A crane, boom, or load may contact an overhead power line.
• Assembly and disassembly incidents: Workers may be injured while crane components are erected, lowered, moved, or removed.

These incidents can cause brain and spinal cord injuries, fractures, crush injuries, amputations, burns, internal injuries, permanent impairment, or death. Evaluating a claim requires medical documentation as well as evidence showing what happened at the jobsite.

When Workers’ Compensation & Third-Party Claims Overlap

An employee injured while performing job duties may qualify for workers’ compensation. These benefits generally operate separately from fault, but eligibility depends on the employment relationship, medical evidence, and circumstances of the accident.

Third-party liability refers to the legal responsibility of someone other than the injured person’s employer. A separate personal injury claim may be available when a contractor, property owner, equipment manufacturer, rental company, maintenance provider, worksite driver, or another outside party contributed to the incident.

Questions that may determine which claims are available include:

• Who selected, supplied, assembled, inspected, and maintained the crane?
• Who operated the equipment and supervised the lift?
• Who rigged the load or communicated signals?
• Who controlled the ground conditions and work zone?
• Did a defect or failed component contribute to the incident?
• Were multiple contractors responsible for different parts of the operation?

Because we handle construction-site injuries, workers’ compensation matters, and complex personal injury litigation, we can investigate separate sources of responsibility without assuming that one type of claim excludes another.

Preserving Evidence Before the Jobsite Changes

Crane equipment may be repaired, moved, returned to service, or removed from the site. Work areas can also change quickly. An early investigation can identify the records, witnesses, and physical evidence needed to determine what happened.

Important evidence may include:

• Photographs, surveillance footage, and jobsite video
• Witness statements and incident reports
• Crane inspection and maintenance records
• Lift plans, load information, and site plans
• Operator, rigger, and signal person records
• Training materials and safety communications
• Employment, wage, and medical records
• Damaged equipment and failed components

Federal OSHA crane standards address ground conditions, inspections, wire rope, power-line safety, signaling, operator qualifications, assembly, and disassembly. A safety violation doesn’t automatically establish civil liability, but applicable requirements and jobsite practices may provide important evidence.

We examine equipment defects, rigging, work-zone control, supervision, communication, and the responsibilities assigned to each company. We then prepare the claim for negotiation or litigation based on what the evidence shows.

What Compensation May Be Available?

Workers’ compensation benefits and damages from a third-party claim follow different rules. Depending on the type of claim and supporting evidence, available compensation may address medical expenses, lost wages, vocational rehabilitation, reduced earning capacity, permanent impairment, scarring, and disfigurement.

A third-party claim may also account for pain and other non-economic harm when permitted by Illinois law. After a fatal accident, eligible family members may have rights involving workers’ compensation death benefits or a wrongful death claim. The available options depend on the responsible parties, evidence, employment relationship, and family relationship.

Experienced Counsel for Complex Construction Injury Claims

DeRango & Cain, LLC brings more than 100 years of combined attorney experience to personal injury cases. Attorney Patrick M. Moore handles personal injury, workers’ compensation, and insurance claim disputes. He is a Life Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has been peer selected as a Leading Lawyer® from 2020 to the present.

We investigate complex claims carefully, negotiate from the evidence, and prepare to take a case to trial when necessary. We also offer service in Spanish.

Discuss Your Claim With Our Rockford Attorneys

After a serious crane accident, we can evaluate your medical treatment, employment details, and the companies involved in the work. Our attorneys serve injured people and families throughout Northern Illinois, providing focused guidance when workers’ compensation and third-party liability may overlap.

We offer free case evaluations and handle injury cases on a contingency fee schedule. You won’t owe legal fees unless compensation is recovered.

Call (815) 216-5911 to request your free case evaluation with DeRango & Cain, LLC.