As an airport worker, you have demanding job duties and work in environments that can increase your risk for injury. Airport injuries are often a result of working with dangerous equipment, hard physical labor, and, in some cases, your employer’s failure to keep you safe. These injuries can be serious (and sometimes fatal), leaving you and your family in a difficult financial position.
When you are injured on the job, your employer or their insurance company may be responsible for your medical costs, lost wages, and other damages. Blumenshine Law Group helps injured airport workers understand their rights and pursues and represents their interests in recovering compensation from those responsible— whether that is an employer, co-worker, or third party.
Injuries Are Common in Airport Work Environments
The daily activities of airport workers often involve physical work along with the use of vehicles, machinery, chemicals, and other hazardous materials —all of which can all contribute to injury. Your case will be specific to the facts of your workplace incident, but common places for airport injuries are:
- Tarmac and runway: Those on the tarmac are constantly exposed to high-risk factors that lead to injury. You may have accidents involving various vehicles (even the planes), equipment connected to the airplanes, and other machinery used on the runway. On the tarmac, you are often exposed to severe weather — especially in Chicago, with its hot summers and cold winters, which may be a contributing factor to an injury incident.
- Luggage Handling: Travelers carry all sorts of heavy and awkward luggage that workers must transport from the terminal to the airplane storage to the baggage claim area. Constant loading and unloading of luggage can cause overuse injuries that damage critical parts of the body like the back or legs. Placing bags on moving conveyor belts can also contribute to strains from placing your body in awkward positions.
- Airplane maintenance: People working on airplanes often are at risk for injury from falls because they frequently work on ladders and other elevated platforms. The tools and airplane parts they maintain also create the potential for cuts, burns, and other traumas.
- Construction: Airports are constantly undergoing construction, which can create dangerous environments that cause injury events. You may be a contractor working at the airport or an employee who finds themselves in the center of an accident because of ongoing construction.
While injuries might be more common on the tarmac, workers at the check-in counter, food service, and other facilities within an airport are also at risk for injury. Regardless of your position or duties within the airport, your injury deserves proper attention and compensation.
Your Employer or Others May Be Responsible for Your Injury
The carelessness of others, including employers is typically the cause of airport worker injuries.
This may take the form of failing to enact necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the airport, failing to disclose potential dangers to workers, a lack of training or supervision, and other negligence that contributes to injury events. Regardless of their level of fault, your employer is generally responsible for your injuries that happen within the course and scope of your employment, with some limited exceptions.
The process for injured workers to recover compensation after an injury can be difficult, as employers will look for ways to minimize their responsibility for your injury. Employers, especially airports and airlines, have great resources to defend against claims for injuries by their workers. The employer might cite, for instance, a worker failing to disclose a pre-existing condition or a worker failing to follow proper protocols. An attorney experienced with airport injury cases can help you navigate the complex process of obtaining the compensation you deserve.
Injured Airport Workers Can Receive a Free Consultation
Blumenshine Law Group’s goal is to get you the Maximum Recovery in the Minimum Time™. In addition, we are responsive to your concerns and keep you informed of the progression of your case — two key components of our Client Service Pledge. We understand that workplace injuries can cause you a lot of stress over your health and finances, which is why we treat our clients with the utmost compassion while providing effective legal counsel.
The first step in pursuing compensation for a workplace injury or fatality is to schedule a free consultation with one of our firm’s attorneys. You can call (312)766-1000, email [email protected], text (312) 313-3466 or submit the linked form with your name, email address, phone number, and a brief description of your injury, along with how it happened.
Contact Blumenshine Law Group today to schedule your free consultation.