A crane accident lawyer helps people catastrophically hurt, or families who lost someone, when a crane fails on a job site. At Rosenthal, Kooshoian & Lennon, LLP, we investigate what went wrong, hold every responsible company accountable, and pursue the full compensation these severe injuries demand, whether you were a worker on the crew or a bystander struck by a falling load or a collapsing boom.
Cranes move loads that weigh tons, hundreds of feet in the air, and when something goes wrong there's rarely a minor version of it. A dropped load, a tipped crane, or a collapsed boom can kill or permanently injure the people below in an instant. Our Buffalo crane accident attorneys know how to trace these disasters back to the decisions that caused them. This is one focus of our broader Buffalo construction accident and personal injury practice, so the full weight of the firm is behind your case.
Call us 24/7 at 716-854-1300 to speak with a personal injury lawyer near you, or contact us for a FREE consultation.
Because of the sheer size, height, and weight involved. A crane lifts enormous loads high above a busy work site, so when it fails, the forces are massive and the people below have nowhere to go. There's little room for a survivable version of a multi-ton load coming down or a crane toppling over.
That's why crane cases are treated so seriously, and why the companies involved carry large insurance policies. It's also why the injuries tend to be life-altering when they aren't fatal, and why building the case takes engineering expertise, not just legal work.
Crane failures take a handful of recognizable forms, each catastrophic in its own way. Knowing which one happened shapes the investigation and points toward who's responsible.
The crane accidents our Buffalo crane accident lawyers handle include:
Whatever form it took, the question is the same: what failed, and which company was responsible for it.
Workers and the public alike. Crane operators, riggers, signal persons, and ground crews are the most common victims, but a crane collapse can also reach far beyond the site, injuring or killing pedestrians, drivers, and people in nearby buildings. The path to compensation differs a bit depending on who you were, but both workers and bystanders can recover.
A worker's claim runs partly through the workers' comp system, while a bystander's runs through ordinary negligence. Because a crane can do damage well outside the fence line, a single failure often injures several people with different kinds of claims, and we handle them all.
Almost always a preventable failure. Operator error, improper setup or assembly, exceeding the crane's load capacity, defective equipment, skipped maintenance and inspections, unstable ground or outrigger failure, and working too close to power lines or in high winds are among the leading causes.
Many of these come down to a company rushing the job or cutting a corner, whether that's a crew that didn't set the crane properly, a company that overloaded it to save a trip, or a rental outfit that supplied a machine that wasn't maintained. Crane operation is also heavily regulated and requires certified operators, so a failure to follow those requirements can be strong evidence of negligence.
Usually several companies at once. Beyond the operator, responsibility can reach the crane rental or leasing company, the operator's employer, the general contractor, the site owner, the crane or parts manufacturer, a maintenance company, and the rigging or signal crew. Each is a separate source of accountability and coverage.
Figuring out who did what, the setup, the inspection, the load, the rigging, is exactly where these cases are won, and it usually takes engineering experts to sort out. We investigate the whole operation, because a crane disaster this serious almost always has more than one party at fault and more than one large policy to answer for it.
Often, yes, and you should. Workers' comp covers your medical care and part of your lost wages, but not your pain and suffering, and you generally can't sue your employer. A separate third-party claim against the other companies responsible for the crane failure can recover everything comp leaves out.
New York also gives construction workers strong protections when a load falls or a safety system fails, which can make these claims especially powerful. Between comp and a third-party claim, the full value of a serious crane injury is far higher than comp alone, and coordinating the two correctly is a central part of what we do.
You have a claim through ordinary negligence. If a crane collapse, a dropped load, or falling debris hurt you while you were passing by, driving, or inside a nearby building, you can pursue the companies whose carelessness caused the failure.
These cases can be especially serious, because a bystander had no warning and no protective equipment. The question is the same as any crane case, whose negligence let it happen, and we chase that answer wherever it leads.
That adds electrocution to the picture, and it's one of the deadliest crane hazards there is. When a boom or load contacts an overhead line, the current can injure or kill the operator, the ground crew, and anyone touching the crane or the load.
These cases involve both the crane failure and the electrical injury, and our electrocution lawyer page covers that side in depth. Our attorneys handle the overlap and pursue everyone responsible, from the crew that put the crane where it shouldn't have been to whoever failed to de-energize or mark the line.
Because the proof can vanish fast. The crane itself, its data and load charts, the rigging, and the maintenance and inspection records are the heart of the case, and they can be moved, repaired, or lost within days. Once the scene is cleared, reconstructing what happened gets far harder.
That's why moving quickly matters so much. The moment we're retained, we work to preserve the crane and the scene, secure the inspection and maintenance records and the operator's certification, and bring in engineering experts to determine what failed. Waiting hands the advantage to companies that have no interest in keeping evidence that points at them.
Crane injuries are among the most severe anywhere. Being struck by a load, caught in the machine, or hit by a collapse commonly causes crush injuries, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and amputations, and power line contact adds severe electrical burns. Many crane accidents are fatal.
Survivors often face multiple surgeries, long rehabilitation, and permanent disability, along with the trauma of the event. Because crush and internal injuries can be life-threatening even when they aren't obvious at first, immediate medical care is critical, both for survival and for the claim that follows.
The family may have a wrongful death claim, brought through the estate, along with a survival action for what their loved one suffered before passing. For a worker who was killed, workers' comp death benefits may also apply, alongside a third-party claim against the responsible companies.
Crane deaths are among the most preventable losses on any job site, and holding the responsible parties fully accountable matters for the family and for the workers who come after. We handle these cases with the care a grieving family deserves.
A crane accident claim can recover your medical bills, lost income, reduced future earning power, pain and suffering, and the cost of long-term care, and for a worker, it runs alongside workers' comp benefits. Where a company's conduct was truly reckless, punitive damages may be possible.
Because crane injuries are so catastrophic, the future costs, surgeries, lifelong care, lost earning power, usually dwarf the immediate bills, and the insurer's first offer never reflects them. We build the number with your doctors and with economic, vocational, and life-care experts, so the demand covers the full arc of what the accident took from you.
By the full lifetime cost of catastrophic injuries, weighed against every responsible party and every available policy. Because these injuries are so severe and often permanent, and the companies involved carry large coverage, the value can be substantial when the injuries and liability are proven thoroughly.
The figure reflects your medical care, your permanent limitations, and the effect on your ability to work and live. A spinal cord injury, an amputation, or a severe burn carries decades of costs, and capturing them takes careful work with the right experts. We build the value and prove who's responsible, so every party at fault is on the hook for their share.
Generally three years from the date of injury to bring a lawsuit, and generally two years for a wrongful death claim if someone was killed. For an injured worker, workers' comp has its own shorter deadlines, and if a public project or government entity is involved, a formal notice can be due within 90 days.
The real urgency, though, is the evidence. The crane, its data, and the records that explain the failure can be gone long before any legal deadline, so the sooner a lawyer can act to preserve them, the stronger your case.
Get emergency medical care first, because crane injuries are often severe even when they don't feel like it at the scene. If you were a worker, report the accident to your employer. Photograph the crane, the scene, and your injuries if you safely can, get witness names, and be careful what you say to any insurer before talking to a lawyer.
Beyond that, hold onto everything and get legal help quickly, because the crane and the scene will be cleared fast. Don't give a recorded statement or sign anything from a contractor's or crane company's insurer without advice. The faster a lawyer can move to preserve the crane and the records, the better your chances of a full recovery.
We move immediately to preserve the crane and reconstruct what failed. From the first days, we document the scene, secure the crane data, load charts, and maintenance and inspection records, and bring in engineering experts to determine the cause, then build the case and prepare it as if it's going to trial.
Our attorneys identify every responsible party, from the operator and crane company to the contractor, owner, or manufacturer, and apply New York's worker-protection laws where a worker was hurt. For a worker, we handle the comp claim alongside the third-party case; for a bystander, we build the negligence claim. We document your injuries and their long-term impact, press the claim against every available insurer, and file suit in New York State Supreme Court when needed. We keep these matters in house from start to finish.
We represent injured workers, bystanders, and grieving families across Western New York, and we handle crane cases the same way we handle every case, in house, start to finish, through settlement, trial, and appeal. We know how to preserve a crane scene, work with engineers, and hold powerful contractors, crane companies, and their insurers accountable.
These cases reward a firm that moves fast, understands the equipment and the regulations, and isn't intimidated by the companies and experts on the other side. That's what we bring, along with straight answers in plain language, so you always know where things stand. You focus on healing. We'll handle the investigation and the fight.
If a crane accident hurt you or took someone you love in Buffalo or Western New York, the attorneys at Rosenthal, Kooshoian & Lennon, LLP are ready to help. Contact us for a free consultation, and a Buffalo crane accident lawyer will review what happened, explain who can be held responsible, and lay out your options, with no fee unless we recover for you.
Don't wait, because the evidence won't. The sooner we start, the more we can do to preserve the crane, identify everyone responsible, and protect your right to full compensation. When a crane failure brought down a structure, our building collapse lawyer page covers that overlap as well.
Call us 24/7 at 716-854-1300 to speak with a personal injury lawyer near you, or contact us for a FREE consultation.
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only and isn't legal advice. Reading it doesn't create an attorney client relationship. Laws, benefits, and deadlines can change, and the rules described reflect New York law as of 2026. Every case is different, and prior results don't guarantee a similar outcome. For advice about a specific incident, please consult a licensed New York attorney.
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