Seattle Falling Objects Injury Lawyer

Why Choose Bishop Legal?

Bishop Legal has spent decades representing injured workers in cases involving serious construction accidents, workplace injuries, and third-party liability. We know how to investigate unsafe job sites, identify responsible contractors, and pursue claims beyond the workers’ compensation system.

Our firm brings:

• Construction injury experience. We’ve represented workers hurt by unsafe work conditions, equipment failures, contractor negligence, and public project hazards. 
• Precedent-setting appellate victories. Our work in the Vargas case helped strengthen worker protections and contractor liability standards in Washington. 
• Insurance-side insight. Attorney Derek Moore is a former insurance adjuster who understands how defendants and insurers evaluate serious injury claims. 
• Experience with complex defendants. We’ve taken on powerful contractors, public entities, government agencies, corporate defendants, and insurers. 
• Support for vulnerable workers. We represent immigrant, undocumented, and Spanish-speaking workers and families harmed by unsafe work conditions.

Common Falling Object Hazards on Construction Sites

A falling object injury may involve almost anything used, stored, moved, or installed above ground level. These cases commonly involve:

• Tools dropped from scaffolding, lifts, ladders, roofs, or upper floors 
• Lumber, rebar, pipe, conduit, drywall, glass, panels, or steel components 
• Crane loads, rigging failures, hoisted materials, or suspended equipment 
• Scaffold planks, brackets, fasteners, toe boards, or unsecured components 
• Debris from demolition, cutting, drilling, roofing, or overhead installation work 
• Materials stacked near edges, openings, floors, or elevated work platforms 
• Objects falling through floor openings, shafts, stairwells, or unfinished structures 

These accidents often happen because companies fail to plan around overhead work. Active areas below should be controlled, materials should be secured, loads should be handled properly, and workers should not be placed beneath known hazards without protection.

Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims

Most construction workers injured on the job can file an L&I workers’ compensation claim. That claim may cover medical care and part of the worker’s lost wages.

But workers’ compensation is limited. It generally does not cover pain and suffering, full lost earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of life, or the full financial impact of a permanent injury.

A third-party civil claim may be available when someone other than your direct employer contributed to the falling object hazard. These claims may involve:

• A subcontractor that failed to secure materials or tools on forklifts or other elevated platforms
• A general contractor that failed to coordinate overhead work safely 
• A crane, rigging, or hoisting company responsible for a dropped load 
• A scaffold company that installed or maintained unsafe equipment 
• A property owner or developer that retained control over site safety 
• A public entity involved in a government construction project 
• A manufacturer or rental company responsible for defective equipment 

A worker may have both an L&I claim and a third-party lawsuit. The civil claim is often the path to fuller compensation when a serious injury was caused by another company’s negligence.

Who May Be Liable for a Falling Object Injury?

Liability depends on who created the hazard, who controlled the work area, and who had the ability to prevent workers from being exposed to falling materials.

Potential defendants may include:

• General contractors. General contractors often control site-wide safety, sequencing, and coordination between trades. When overhead work exposes workers below to falling object hazards, the general contractor’s role must be reviewed.
• Subcontractors. A subcontractor may be liable if its employees dropped tools, failed to secure materials, stacked objects improperly, or performed overhead work without proper controls.
• Crane, rigging, and equipment companies. Dropped loads may involve improper rigging, overloaded equipment, poor communication, lack of inspection, or unqualified operators.
• Scaffold and lift companies. Falling scaffold parts, unsecured planks, and materials dropped from aerial lifts may involve the company that installed, maintained, rented, or operated the equipment.
• Property owners, developers, and public entities. Owners and agencies may be responsible when they retain control over safety, access, staging, or hazardous conditions on the project.

What Compensation Can Include

A falling object can cause injuries that alter a worker’s health, earning ability, and independence. Third-party claims may seek compensation for:

• Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, and rehabilitation 
• Future medical treatment and long-term care needs 
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity 
• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress 
• Brain injury, spinal injury, vision loss, or permanent impairment 
• Disfigurement or scarring 
• Loss of enjoyment of life 
• Wrongful death damages for surviving family members 

How Long Do You Have to File?