Illinois and Indiana Stage Collapse Lawyers

Injury to either visitors while at public locations or workers on construction sites occurs throughout the United States, and often they are due to the unsafe nature of the worksites. An example is the recent tragedy at the Indiana State Fair when a rigging tilted and then the stage collapsed prior to a performance of the band "Sugarland." Riggings, partially built structures, scaffolding, ladders, lifts, heavy machinery and rotating crews of tradesmen account for some of the on-premises hazards. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency that regulates safety measures on construction sites.

In the case of an on-site worker being injured, if the employer is the cause of the injury and unsafe condition, the victim can turn to worker’s compensation while recuperating from the injury. Many incidents, though, are complicated and involve numerous parties who were involved in the negligence on the site. Such cases require separate liability suits to compensate the victim(s) and their families for injury or death due to negligence. Several tort theories of liability, including negligence and strict liability, may be pursued by lawyers representing those who bring a lawsuit against all possible defendants responsible for the tragic incident.

The complexity of accident liability (such as the Indiana State Fair stage collapse) cases often requires an experienced attorney pursuing a premises liability lawsuit on their behalf.

Clifford Law Offices has represented many accident victims involving various types of construction work including scaffolding and rigging accidents. For example, the scaffold accident law firm received a $75 million settlement for the injured victims and the families of those who were killed and injured when a scaffold fell from Chicago's John Hancock Center. On the eve of trial, the defendants settled in a global settlement after nearly four years of preparation for trial. A large section of the scaffold crashed on the car of four women, killing two friends in the front seat and severely injuring their mothers in the back seat. The mothers spent more than 30 minutes while the Chicago Fire Department extricated them from the tragic accident. Several defendants shared the blame for this tragic scaffold accident including the owners and managers of the building, the architects of the window improvement project for the building and the engineers of the project.

Clifford and partner Richard F. Burke also received a $13 million settlement on the eve of trial for a man who fell 30 feet from a manlift platform that collapsed due to a critical connection that was necessary to maintain the platform in a level position. The 44-year-old man suffered permanent injuries to his back as well as crushing injuries to his ankles and heels. The firm also received a significant settlement for a flight attendant who suffered a career-ending injuring when an elevator car malfunctioned at O’Hare Airport.

These cases are complicated and involve much work. The lawyers at the firm are committed to working hard for its clients in their attempt to obtain what is just and fair for their clients.

Clifford Law Offices has Experienced Accident Attorneys

Clifford Law Offices has been representing the victims of structural collapses and unsafe premises for decades. The combined experience of the attorneys adds up to hundreds of years of wrongful death and personal injury work. A Clifford Law Offices’ rigging or scaffolding collapse attorney examines the cause of the collapse. It can be an issue of faulty design or construction, improper maintenance, inadequate or negligent inspection. The firm will also examine the victims’ losses that include medical expenses, lost wages, future earnings, future medical care, pain and suffering, grief, sorrow and mental suffering, loss of quality of life and other possible damage claims.

Clifford Law Offices has represented many people who have been the victims of unsafe premises. For instance, Robert Clifford, Kevin Durkin, and Tim Tomasik obtained a $70 million settlement on behalf of the families of victims who were killed or those who were injured when scaffolding on the John Hancock Center collapsed on their car. Moreover, Michael Krzak obtained $1.8 million for a construction worker who fell off of an unguarded bridge. The worker fractured his hip and vertebrae. The experienced law firm also represents several people who were injured or killed when a porch collapsed at a Chicago building.

All of these were tragic errors and all of them required an experienced accident lawyer. Engineers and structural experts must be held accountable for their negligent actions. Clifford Law Offices represented the families of those who were injured or killed in scaffolding collapse and other structural accidents and got the answers these families deserved. Please call Clifford Law Offices, experienced accident attorneys and unsafe premises attorneys at 866-896-6896.

Accolades for Clifford Law Offices

Clifford Law Offices received national first-tier rankings in Plaintiffs' Product Liability Litigation in the 2010 U.S. News-Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" Guide. Thousands of clients and law firms were surveyed by U.S. News-Best Lawyers. This is the first time that a national ranking has been compiled and it was featured in the October print issue of U.S. News & World Report. Airplanes are considered a product and finding out what goes wrong with them is a complex issue. Robert Clifford, senior and name partner at the firm, was named the 2009 Best Lawyers' Top Personal Injury Attorney in Chicago. The firm also received Metropolitan First-Tier rankings in Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs' Product Liability Litigation and Plaintiffs' Medical Malpractice Law in what some have called the most comprehensive view of the U.S. legal profession. Thousands of law firms and clients were surveyed. Robert Clifford has been named a Best Lawyer since the publication's inception in 1983. Kevin Durkin and Keith Hebeisen, partners at the firm, were named Best Lawyers in the 2011 edition. Robert A. Clifford was selected in 2004 as one of the "five most respected and feared plaintiffs' attorneys" in the country by Corporate Legal Times, calling him "the best of the bad." The National Law Journal named Mr. Clifford's firm on the "Plaintiffs' Hot List: 20 Go-To Teams" in 2004 and one of the top 25 firms in 2003. The publication also named Robert Clifford one of the Top Ten Litigators in Illinois as well as one of the nation's Top Ten Litigators. American Lawyer Media recognized Mr. Clifford as one of the Top Ten Most Influential Lawyers in Illinois in 2000. He has consistently been voted by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America , and he was named one of Chicago's "30 Toughest Lawyers" by Chicago Magazine in 2002. He was selected to be a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group of 100 trial lawyers from around the country.

Premises liability attorneys, including those that can handle a stage collapse lawsuit, with Clifford Law Offices are experienced with representing victims of construction accidents, including rigging and stage collapses such as the recent tragedy at the Indiana State Fair.