CALL (800) 863-5312 TO SPEAK WITH cell phone tower accident Lawyers FOR FREE
Cell phone towers can cause damage in a few ways; the closer you are to the tower, the more likely you are to be injured by it. Naturally then, cell phone tower workers are the most likely to be injured near a cell phone tower.
You might work on cell phone towers or live near one, or just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is helpful to consult with a personal injury attorney near you about your exact circumstances to decide whether it will be worth the effort to pursue legal compensation for your injury.
If you or a loved one sustained an injury near a cell phone tower, call (800) 863-5312 to speak with the Zinda Law Group lawyers. Our skilled cell phone tower accident attorneys can give you a free case evaluation to help you determine how to proceed with your case.
Who is at risk of being injured near Cell phone towers?
In our modern era of technological connectedness, most people use cell phone towers in some capacity. Cell phone towers are highly visible structures, often reaching heights as great as 2,000 feet so that they can cover distances of 25 miles or more, depending on how many nodes the antenna has. Anyone who uses a cell phone or accesses cellular networks benefits from cell phone towers.
Cell Phone Tower Workers
The workers that maintain and build cell phone towers conduct the deadliest job in the United States, at one time having ten times the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers as construction workers. Thankfully, OSHA regulations and FCC guidelines have helped decrease the number of accidents among tower climbers. We will discuss the risks that these workers face in more depth later.
Residents Living Near Cell Phone Towers
Some people who live near cell phone towers notice injuries after long periods of time. Scientific studies have not yet ruled out the possibility that too much exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) and radio frequencies (RFs) creates a risk of cancer. There have been cases of residents reaching a settlement to avoid having a tower built near their homes, and one school successfully shut down a cell tower after several children became ill with cancer.
What kinds of injuries do cell phone towers cause?
Since there is little proof that EMFs and RFs cause cancer, the majority of provable injuries from cell phone towers happen to tower climbers who repair and construct the towers. The workers at the site must carefully abide by the safety regulations of OSHA to avoid injuries from RF burn, free climbing, malfunctioning equipment, and dropped objects.
RF Burn
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has researched the effects of radio frequencies and has found that RF burn—which is caused by close exposure to RF radiation—can cause burned skin and potentially cataracts and temporary sterility. While there are government limits to the amount of radiation that a cell tower may emit, not all sites abide by this.
RF contact can produce an electrical sensation for frequencies lower than 100 kHz and heating or burning at higher frequencies. Close, constant exposure to RFs on cell towers can lead to burns that look like sunburns.
Free Climbing
Some tower climbers engage in free climbing in order to save time. Free climbing occurs when workers do not attach their harnesses to the tower, allowing them to move freely up and down the tower without restraint—or protection. More than half of tower climber fatalities result from free climbing.
Workers and supervisors cave to using this strictly prohibited practice as a way to reduce the amount of time spent on the tower. If you can show that your employer encourages free climbing, you may be able to recover for your injuries.
Malfunctioning Equipment
You can imagine the importance of functional equipment for an employee who works hundreds of feet off of the ground. A working harness can act as a lifeline for a tower climber, and a broken harness can lead to catastrophic results.
The difficulty with cases that involve malfunctioning equipment occurs when you have trouble proving who is responsible for the maintenance of your equipment, especially when there are multiple employers involved. We will discuss more later how these employer relations can complicate your case.
Dropped Objects
If you drop a tape measure when you are standing on solid ground, you simply bend down to retrieve it. If you drop a tape measure when you are working from an extreme height, you could accidentally end someone’s life.
Workers accidentally drop items all the time, and these dropped objects can become deadly as they gain speed while falling. Employers should ensure that workers have the proper equipment (i.e., hard hats, construction belts to hold items) to reduce the chances of falling objects injuring someone.
How can I recover if I am injured near a cell phone tower?
Depending on the circumstances of your case, there are a few routes you can take to recover for injuries you received from a cell phone tower accident. If you are a cell phone tower worker, you are entitled to certain employee rights. If those rights were clearly violated, you could have a strong case.
As with most legal proceedings, it may be helpful to have a nearby personal injury attorney ensure that you are interpreting the law correctly and making the best case possible to increase your chance of receiving compensation.
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) applies to most private employers and workers through either Federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved state plan. A state plan must be at least as effective as Federal OSHA to receive OSHA’s approval.
If your injury occurred due to an OSHA violation, such as your employer not providing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), you may be able to recover for your injuries. OSHA has made its handbook on worker’s rights available online so you can see a full description of your rights in the workplace.
Worker’s Compensation
Worker’s compensation allows employees to receive compensation for work-related injuries without suing their employers. There are guidelines that an employer must use to determine how much money to pay the employee based on the kind of injury the employee sustains. In return, the employee usually cannot file a claim against the employer.
Texas does not require its employers to follow the rule of worker’s compensation. Zinda Law Group has attorneys in Texas and all across the country, so you can have confidence knowing that our attorneys will be familiar with the laws of your state.
How do I know who to sue?
Sometimes it can be difficult for cell tower workers to even find out for whom they are working; you probably know which company hired you, but your company may have been subcontracted by the cell carrier that builds, uses, and owns the tower to provide its services. The safety equipment you are using might belong to the contractor, and that equipment could malfunction and injure you. How can you begin to determine who is responsible for your injury in that case?
Cell carriers usually want as little to do with the safety regulations as possible so that they can move that responsibility to the contractor. However, that contractor will often hire a subcontractor to do the job. The farther down the chain the job goes, the more difficult it is to (1) show that the cell carrier had control over the safety of the tower workers and (2) sue the companies that have the most money.
For situations like those described above, you may want to work with someone who is familiar with the hiring mechanisms of cell carriers and construction companies. An experienced cell phone tower accident lawyer might be able to help you sort out this part of your case so that you know against whom you could file your claim.
Do I need to find a Personal injury lawyer near me?
It can be difficult to navigate the legal system alone, especially if you are already nursing an injury. You may wonder, “How can a personal injury lawyer near me help?” Here are some of the ways a cell phone tower accident lawyer could help with your case:
- A cell phone tower accident lawyer can help you file a claim against the correct person or company.
- Next, the attorney can help you gather evidence relevant to your case.
- The cell phone tower accident attorney can negotiate a settlement for you and get you compensated.
- Finally, if necessary, the lawyer can take your case to trial.
Give our Cell phone tower accident attorneys a call
If you think that your case could benefit from the assistance of an attorney, our experienced lawyers are ready to hear about your accident and help you decide your next steps. You can reach the Zinda Law Group attorneys at (800) 863-5312 to schedule your free consultation.
Our personal injury attorneys near you are ready to advocate for you. We have a No Win, No Fee Guarantee to ensure that you will not pay us unless we win your case for you.
Meetings with attorneys are available by appointment only.
