Crane Accident Lawyer in Conroe

Injury and Wrongful Death Claims After Serious Crane Accidents

Crane accidents can involve falling loads, equipment failures, electrical hazards, unstable ground, or mistakes during lifting and assembly operations. When workers or others on a job site are seriously injured, determining who is responsible may require looking beyond the crane operator to the companies and contractors involved in the work.

At Scott Law Firm, we represent injured workers and families throughout Conroe, Montgomery County, and surrounding communities. Our personal injury practice includes serious workplace and oilfield injuries, catastrophic injury claims, and wrongful death cases.

What Can Cause a Crane Accident?

Federal OSHA regulations contain detailed requirements for cranes and derricks used in construction. Depending on the operation, these rules address operator training and certification, ground conditions, assembly and disassembly, rigging, inspections, signal-person qualifications, and work near power lines.

A violation does not automatically establish liability in every case. Investigating the job site, equipment, companies involved, and circumstances of the lift can help determine whether unsafe conduct contributed to the accident.

Potential causes may include:

• Overloading or improper load calculations: Exceeding rated capacity or incorrectly calculating the load can affect crane stability and structural integrity.
• Unsafe ground conditions: Cranes require adequate support, grading, and stability for the equipment and outriggers.
• Power-line hazards: Crane booms, load lines, rigging, and suspended loads can create electrocution risks when operations occur near energized lines.
• Improper rigging or load securement: Rigging failures can allow suspended materials or equipment to fall or shift.
• Assembly or disassembly errors: Crane setup and dismantling require specific procedures and qualified supervision.
• Inspection or maintenance failures: Equipment condition and required inspections may become important when mechanical failure is suspected.

Who May Be Responsible?

A crane accident can involve multiple companies performing different roles on the same project. Liability depends on who controlled the work, owned or maintained the equipment, employed the people involved, or contributed to the unsafe condition.

Depending on the facts, potentially responsible parties may include a general contractor, subcontractor, crane owner or rental company, equipment operator, maintenance provider, manufacturer, or another company working at the site.

Identifying the parties early can also help preserve contracts, maintenance and inspection records, equipment data, photographs, witness information, and other evidence showing how the operation was organized.

Non-Subscriber Employers and Third-Party Claims in Texas

Texas allows private employers to choose whether to obtain workers' compensation insurance. An employer that does not provide qualifying workers' compensation coverage is generally referred to as a non-subscriber.

Under Texas Labor Code §406.033, a non-subscriber employer cannot rely on certain defenses in an employee negligence action, including contributory negligence, assumption of risk, or the negligence of a fellow employee. The injured worker must still prove negligence by the employer or someone acting within the scope of employment.

When an employer carries workers' compensation insurance, benefits may be available regardless of fault for a covered work injury. Texas law can also allow the injured employee or legal beneficiary to pursue damages against a separate third party whose conduct contributed to the injury or death.

A workers' compensation carrier may have reimbursement or subrogation rights in connection with a third-party recovery, so the interaction between the two claims should be evaluated as part of the case.

Serious Injuries Can Create Long-Term Losses

Crane incidents can cause severe injuries because workers may be exposed to heavy suspended loads, falls, crushing forces, electrical current, or large moving equipment.

Scott Law Firm handles serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and burn injuries.

Depending on the injury and applicable claim, recoverable damages may include:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Reduced future earning capacity
• Rehabilitation and future care costs
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Physical impairment or disfigurement

Exemplary damages are different from compensatory damages. Under Texas law, they require clear and convincing evidence of fraud, malice, or gross negligence and are subject to additional statutory requirements and limitations. Whether they are available depends on the specific evidence against a particular defendant.

Evidence Matters Quickly After a Crane Accident

Construction and industrial sites can change soon after an accident. Equipment may be moved, damaged components may be repaired, work may resume, and electronic or paper records may become more difficult to obtain.

An investigation may involve crane inspection and maintenance records, load information, photographs and video, OSHA or employer records, contracts between companies, witness statements, training records, and information about the condition of the site.

Scott Law Firm can also work with qualified professionals when technical issues require analysis of equipment, accident mechanics, medical injuries, or long-term financial losses.

Local Representation for Injured Workers and Families

Catastrophic injuries do not always fit normal office hours. Scott Law Firm offers same-day, evening, and weekend appointments by request, and our team can travel to clients who are hospitalized or unable to come to the office.

We are based in Conroe and represent injured people throughout Montgomery County and beyond. Our attorneys use a team-based approach while giving each client individualized attention and direct information about the legal process.

Insurance companies, contractors, equipment companies, and other defendants may have their own attorneys investigating an accident shortly after it happens. Our role is to investigate the claim from the injured person's perspective and identify the evidence and parties that may affect recovery.

Texas Filing Deadlines

Texas generally imposes a two-year limitations period on personal injury claims, although the precise accrual date and any exceptions depend on the circumstances.

Wrongful death actions are treated differently for accrual purposes. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003, an action for injury resulting in death generally must be filed within two years after the injured person's death.

Those statutory deadlines are not the only reason to investigate promptly. Evidence at an active job site can change much sooner.