Ladder Accidents at work or home
Ladder accidents can cost you. Whether permanent or short-term injuries, medical costs and lost wages can place a heavy burden on you. You need to know that help is available and there may be several avenues of compensation that can pay for some or all of your losses.
Types of Ladder Accident Claims
Depending on the circumstances, sources of compensation for ladder accident injuries and death can include one or more of the following:
- Home or property owner’s insurance
- Worker's Compensation
- Defective Product claims
- Another type of third party claim for injured employees
Defective Ladder Claims
If your injuries were caused by a defective ladder, a product liability claim can brought under most circumstances, including using a ladder:
- At your own home, or when helping out friends or family
- As regular part of your job, such as construction, maintenance or decorating
- On the-job, when you do not use a ladder for your usual work duties
- When performing volunteer work
You need to prove that the ladder was defective in the design or manufacture process when it left the control of the seller.
Work-Related Ladder Accidents
Most injured workers are eligible for Workers’ Compensation benefits in Ohio. It doesn’t matter if you use a ladder everyday at work, or you had never used a ladder before you were hurt. Also, you don’t need to prove fault to receive Workers’ Compensation benefits, and you are free to pursue other types of claims for your ladder accident if available.
If you are not covered by Workers’ Compensation because you were an independent contractor, you can make a claim against the person or company you were working for if your ladder accident was their fault.
Home Accidents
If you are hurt using someone else's ladder, a claim may be possible against their insurance company if they knew or should have know the ladder was not safe for your use under the facts of your accident.
