Cell Tower Accidents

Representation for Injured Cell Tower Climbers

To build or repair their towers, cell phone carriers often retain the services of tower climbers. Tower climbers typically scale 100+ feet tall towers to replace cables, antennas, and other network gear, or to check on these parts to make sure they are working correctly. Although the pay can be good for this work, tower climbing is an extremely dangerous industry. Some reports have determined the death rate in tower climbing to be 10 times higher than the death rate in construction.

If you were injured or lost a loved one in a cell tower climbing accident, don't hesitate to contact The Robert Pahlke Law Group for assistance. Our Nebraska personal injury lawyers can assess your case to determine liability for your accidents and losses.

Common Causes of Tower Climbing Accidents

There are more than 280,000 cell towers across the United States, and the need to frequently repair or update these sites results in a heavy demand for tower climbers. Tower climbing companies have a responsibility to ensure that their climbers are safe while on the job, but negligence often leads to catastrophic and even fatal injuries.

While accidents can be caused by various factors, some of the leading causes of tower climbing accidents include:

  • Faulty or misused equipment. OSHA records show that since 2003, nearly one third of all tower climbing deaths involved problems with equipment.
  • Inadequate protection and safety gear. It is important for climbers to be properly outfitted with safety harnesses, lifelines, rope grabs, gloves, helmets, safety glasses, tool belts, etc.
  • Lack of training. Climbers should be thoroughly trained on how to perform their jobs safely and effectively.
  • Failure to enforce safety regulations. On many job sites, supervisors disregard safety regulations and allow climbers to follow dangerous practices, such as free-climbing without safety harnesses.
  • Time pressure. Climbers and their employers are often pressured to finish work as quickly as possible, which can lead to climbers cutting corners on safety to be faster.

Liability in Tower Accidents

Determining who is liable when climbers suffer injuries while working on cell towers is typically very complicated. If a climber is harmed while working on a cell tower for AT&T, for instance, AT&T may not be considered legally responsible for what happens at their tower site. This is because major carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint outsource this work to subcontractors or turf vendors. Most carriers say that they outsource the work to subcontracting because building and maintaining towers isn't a core aspect of their business, and it isn't economical to hire their own climbers since the volume of work is inconsistent.

These cases are made even more complicated by the fact that large subcontracting companies often contract tower climbing jobs out to other subcontractors. Because of all the parties involved in the chain of command, it can be difficult to determine who is actually responsible for the work, and how much the parties at the top of the chain actually know about the work that is happening.

Contracting companies have a duty to protect their workers from injury, however, and can be held liable for any injuries or fatalities caused by negligence. If you believe your family has grounds to file a claim or lawsuit against the subcontracting company or carrier, call The Robert Pahlke Law Group at 888-514-4138 to discuss your case.

Help for Injured Tower Climbers

Tower climbers expose themselves to dangerous situations every day in order to provide for their families and make decent livings. At The Robert Pahlke Law Group, we believe these brave workers deserve generous compensation when they are injured on the job. Our attorneys have more than 85 years of combined legal experience, and we have fought to improve community safety for the last three decades.

If you or a loved one sustained catastrophic or fatal injuries in a cell tower climbing accident, our dedicated firm can represent your rights and interests. We can investigate the circumstances involved in the incident to determine liability and aggressively advocate on your behalf. In the midst of this overwhelming time, you need a strong team on your side. Contact The Robert Pahlke Law Group today to speak with our caring and outstanding lawyers about your case.