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By a Philadelphia Work Accident & Injury Lawyer
Same level fall accidents like slip and falls or trip and falls are the most common types of work accidents in Pennsylvania. Fall accidents at work may result in serious injuries such as broken bones, head injuries and/or back injuries. It’s not uncommon for an injured worker to sustain a broken wrist or ankle in a fall accident at work.
Our Philadelphia work accident lawyers often field questions about legal rights after a slip or trip and fall work accident, and typically, injured workers want to know whether they have any legal rights against their employers. For example, a factory worker slips in the parking lot on the way into the building. Is the employer liable, even if the employer’s negligent conduct led to the accident?
This fact scenario is one of the most common types of work accidents in the Philadelphia area. We typically see work related fall accidents happen in the following:
- parking lots,
- break rooms or lunch rooms,
- bathrooms, and
- other common areas such as stairways or hallways.
Related: Fall Accidents at Work in NJ & NY – OSHA’s Local Enforcement Program for Region 2
Liability of Non-Employer Parties for Fall Accidents at Work
Under Pennsylvania law, employers are usually immune from being sued in these types of situations. Due to Pennsylvania’s workers’ comp law, most employers can’t be sued for a work injury. Of course, there are exceptions, but for most cases in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, workers’ comp law will prevent any claims, other than workers’ comp claims, from being filed against an employer, even if the employer was negligent.
However, the legal term for this principle, workers’ compensation exclusivity, doesn’t apply to non-employer parties. In fall accident cases in the workplace, other parties can be held liable for negligent conduct that led to the accident.
Many injured workers simply don’t know that they may have valid legal claims against non-employer parties, such as maintenance companies or parking lot owners/operators. Oftentimes, large companies contract out cleaning and maintenance duties to other companies which can be held liable. For example, a worker at a large medical office slips and falls after a maintenance worker fails to mop a hallway floor properly, leaving a large wet spot without putting up warning cones. The worker breaks her wrist as a result of the fall. While she cannot sue her employer, the medical facility, she may have a valid lawsuit against the maintenance company which was tasked with cleaning the hallways, but failed to do so in a reasonable manner.
For more info, visit the work injury law library.
Work Injury Lawyers – Fall Accidents at Work
Our work accident lawyers have helped countless injured workers across the Philadelphia region including Delaware County, Montgomery County, etc. We’ve recovered over $150 million in work injury cases alone. Contact us for a free consultation at our downtown Philadelphia office. If you can’t come to us, we will come to you. (866) 641-0806
**This website does not provide legal advice. Every case is unique and it is crucial to get a qualified, expert legal opinion prior to making any decisions about your case. See the full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
