Paterson Forklift Accident Lawyer

Forklifts are essential in warehouses for lifting and moving heavy loads, but they’re also dangerous devices. A falling load or a rollover accident can kill drivers and surrounding victims. If you’ve been hurt in a forklift accident or lost a loved one to one, you need to know your legal rights.

Morelli Law helps accident victims in Paterson, NJ, with personal injury and workers’ compensation claims, including forklift accidents. We can help you get the compensation you truly need after your accident, not what the insurers want to give you. Here’s how we can help.

Forklifts Are Dangerous

Workers must have the training and the safety equipment to operate a forklift. Most workplaces require a separate forklift license to make sure drivers have the training they need. Despite this, hundreds of workers die and thousands get injured each year because of forklift accidents.

Many of these accidents are caused by cutting corners in safety. Sometimes it’s the fault of the driver, but sometimes a workplace demands unsafe practices in the name of speed and profits. Common causes of forklift accidents include:

• Driving with a load too high
• Poor maintenance on the forklift
• Speeding
• Lack of training
• Unsafe working conditions (e.g., narrow aisles)
• Carelessness around elevated surfaces
• Doing tricks or using a forklift in an unsafe manner

Am I Eligible For Workers’ Compensation?

If a forklift injured you while you were working, workers’ compensation can pay for some of your costs of care and lost wages. In New Jersey, you can get compensation for:

• All reasonable and necessary medical treatment, pain management, and rehabilitation for the injury
• Payment of a percentage of your wages while you recover, including temporary or permanent disability benefits
• Vocational rehabilitation if you need to retrain to a different position because of your physical injury

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, so you do not have to prove your employer did something wrong. Our forklift accident lawyers in Paterson, NJ, can help you with your claim application or represent you in a hearing if your claim is denied or too little for your needs.

When Can I Sue Over a Forklift Accident?

There are some circumstances when you can sue someone over a forklift accident. The biggest obstacle for workers is that you cannot sue your employer while you’re covered by workers’ compensation unless the employer was especially negligent about your care.

Bystanders in a warehouse can also sue forklift operators and their employers if they get hit by a forklift while visiting a warehouse. It’s rare to see someone own a forklift for their private use, so using a workplace is quite possible if you get hurt.

Finally, some workers may sue a third party on top of their workers’ compensation. The usual cause for this is if there is a defect in the manufacturing or repair of the forklift that caused the accident.

Suing for a forklift accident gives you access to a greater range of damages. You can claim all of your lost wages, including lost future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and more. Your forklift accident lawyer in Paterson, NJ can tell you if your claim qualifies for a lawsuit and workers’ compensation.

What Our Forklift Accident Lawyers Can Do for You

Our job is to get you the full amount of compensation you’re owed after your accident. Insurers do not want to pay what you’re owed, but our forklift lawyers can help you by:

• Evaluating all your legal options for compensation
• Perform an investigation to see what caused the accident and who may be liable
• Consult with accident reconstruction and safety experts to see if there were violations of safety laws
• Documenting all the damages you’re owed
• Communicating with the insurer and the courts to keep your case moving forward
• Taking your case to court if the insurer won’t come to a reasonable settlement

The insurers will have their own lawyers to help them deny claims or lower settlements, so why should you face them without a legal expert of your own? Turn to Morelli Law to help you with your forklift accident claim.

What Are My Deadlines?

Victims have to file their cases by certain deadlines to have a valid claim. Taking too long could prevent you from getting any compensation. Therefore, lawyers urge victims to contact them as soon as possible so they don’t miss these deadlines.

For workers’ compensation claims, you must report the accident to your employer within 14 days of the accident. After that, you have two years from the accident to file your claim for workers’ compensation.

For victims that can sue, there is a two-year deadline before the statute of limitations is reached for personal injury claims. This means you must act quickly so your forklift accident attorney in Paterson, NJ, has enough time to build a strong case and negotiate for a settlement. Starting too late can force a lawsuit.

Why Go With Morelli Law?

Morelli Law is known for winning substantial settlements in large cases and for our aggressive presence in the courtroom. We are not afraid of fighting huge companies on behalf of our clients, and we’ve recovered several successful multi-million dollar awards for our clients.

Our record of success proves our skill, and we can put that skill to work for you in your forklift accident case. Victims of forklift accidents can be crushed, impaled, or even suffocate from exhaust fumes. Your injuries are probably severe, so you need a law firm that knows how to get results. We’re that law firm.

Contact Morelli Law for a Free Consultation

If you live in Paterson, NJ, and you’ve been the victim of a forklift accident, don’t wait. Contact Morelli Law for a free consultation and learn your legal options. Starting early gives you the best chance for a high-dollar recovery.

Request your free case evaluation by clicking the button at the top of the page or calling us at the number listed. All consultations are free and you will owe us nothing unless you’re victorious in your case.