New Jersey Roofing Accident Fall Injury Attorneys

The experienced roofing accident injury lawyers at the Todd J. Leonard Law firm fight for clients who have been injured in a fall from a roof. 

Roofing can be a rewarding job, but it’s also a dangerous one. Falls from roofs are a common cause of death and serious injury for roofing workers. Even if a worker survives a fall, life-altering injuries can result. 

If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a roofing workplace fall, speak to an experienced attorney today. The Todd J. Leonard Law Firm team is dedicated to helping our clients secure the compensation they need after a devastating injury or a fatal fall from a roof. 

Roofing Accident Injury Statistics

Falls are one of the most common causes of death in the construction industry. Among roofers, death and serious injury from falls are even more common. 

In 2023, the construction industry accounted for 1,075 workplace deaths nationwide, making it the most dangerous industry overall. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 421 construction-related deaths. 

Falls From Height: One of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” Injuries

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

Falls from a roof are particularly dangerous because they result in a person falling more than six feet to the ground. A fall from a height greater than six feet is associated with a significantly higher rate of injury and death than falls from six feet or less. OSHA calls these “falls from height” and lists them as one of the top four causes of death in US workplaces.

Falls in the Roofing Industry

In 2023, 134 roofers died on the job in the United States, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These deaths included 32 residential roofers, 21 non-residential roofers, and 81 roofers working on other projects. Roofers also experienced 7,100 non-fatal injuries at work in the US in 2023. 

The most common cause of death and serious injury for roofers is falls, usually falls from a roof. In 2023, 110 of the 134 roofers who suffered fatal injuries on the job were killed by a fall. Another eighteen suffered death from “exposure to harmful substances or environments,” usually from overheating. 

3 Common Causes of Falls from Roofs While Working

OSHA recommends that all workers have access to fall prevention equipment when working above a height of six feet. Proper equipment, such as ladders, scaffolds, and safety gear, is also essential. 

Common causes of falls from roofs include:

1. Lack of fall protection. Roofers who do not have access to guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest systems, and other forms of fall protection face significantly higher risks of a fall.
2. Hidden defects in fall protection gear. Manufacturers and designers of fall protection equipment must ensure the equipment they provide is safe for its intended use. They must also provide adequate warnings about any non-obvious risks. When these companies fail to produce defect-free equipment or fail to warn, serious harm can result. 
3. Lack of training. Roofing companies that do not adequately train workers about fall risks put their workers at a higher risk of serious injury or death. 

Falls from roofs can be prevented. Failure to use due care can result in severe injuries and sometimes wrongful death. 

Common Injuries Resulting from a Roof Fall

A study of patients admitted to a hospital emergency room with roofing fall injuries found that these patients frequently need hospital care and surgery to address their serious injuries. 

For example, the study found that 93 percent of people who visit the ER with a roofing fall injury are admitted to the hospital for at least one night; the average length of stay was 6.92 days. Forty-four percent were admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit; the average stay in the ICU was 6.5 days. Seventy-six percent of roof fall injury patients required surgery.  

Roofer Injury Statistics

In 2022, about 20 percent of all non-fatal injuries resulted from a fall from a height, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Construction workers, including roofers, experience about 20,000 non-fatal fall-related injuries each year, according to OSHA.

Roofing and painting are the top two industries in which employees experience non-fatal injuries due to a fall from a height, according to the BLS. In 2022, roofers made the list of the construction jobs with the highest number of fall-related deaths and serious injuries. 

Common Types of Roofing Accident Injuries

A study of emergency room patients who suffered a fall from a roof revealed several clear patterns in roof fall injuries:

• Arm and leg injuries were common, with 21 percent of patients suffering at least one arm or leg injury. Of these, broken bones were common, with arms breaking more often than legs. 
• Chest, abdomen, and pelvic injuries occurred in 33 percent of cases. These injuries included fractured ribs and pelvic bones, organ damage, and internal bleeding. 
• Head or facial injuries, ranging from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to facial trauma, occurred in 26 percent of patients. 

Soft tissue injuries, such as sprains and strains, also occurred. About ten percent of patients experienced cuts and scrapes, some of them serious. 

Workers’ Compensation After a Roof Accident

Workers’ compensation covers New Jersey employees. It provides payments for medical costs and certain other benefits when an employee is injured at work. If an employee suffers fatal injuries, workers’ compensation also provides death benefits to surviving family members. 

Types of Benefits Available in New Jersey Workers’ Compensation

• Temporary Total Disability (TTD). If a fall prevents you from working for more than seven days, you may receive 70% of your average weekly wage (subject to statutory limits). Payments continue until you are medically cleared to return to work or reach maximum medical improvement (MMI).
• Permanent Partial Disability (PPD). If you sustain lasting impairments but can still perform some work, you may qualify for partial disability benefits based on the severity of your condition.
• Permanent Total Disability (PTD). Workers who can no longer work in any capacity due to fall-related injuries may receive long-term disability benefits, which could continue for life.

Most employees are covered by workers’ compensation in New Jersey. Some federal employees, dockworkers, and limited other groups are not covered by state workers’ compensation; instead, they may be covered by federal systems. Independent contractors are typically not covered by workers’ compensation, but may have other options for compensation. 

What To Do After a Roofer Injury

If you’re injured in a fall from a roof, think safety first. Do what you can to warn others at the worksite about the risk of a fall. Call 911 or have someone else call to immediately summon medical attention. 

For emergencies, call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room. In a non-emergency, ask your employer for a list of doctors approved by workers’ compensation.

Notify your employer as soon as possible after your injury. In an emergency, it’s possible your employer already knows you were hurt. Contact your employer to make sure they know what happened. Ask for copies of any workers’ compensation paperwork you may need.

Also, speak to an experienced New Jersey workers’ compensation lawyer. An attorney can help you navigate the workers’ compensation process.  

Additional Compensation After a Fall at a Roofing Site: Third-Party Claims

Workers’ compensation provides benefits without requiring an injured worker to prove that someone else caused their injuries. In some situations, roofers or their families may benefit from filing a claim against a negligent third party (in addition to a workers’ compensation claim).

For example, a roofer may be injured when their personal fall protection equipment fails. An inspection of the equipment may reveal a defect in its manufacture or design. Here, the injured roofer may benefit from filing a third-party product liability claim against the manufacturer or designer – something the roofer could not have known about until it was too late to prevent harm. 

These third-party cases have two benefits: first, they hold negligent people or companies accountable for the harm they cause. Second, they allow injured people to access compensation for losses that workers’ compensation may not cover. Speak to an experienced New Jersey roofing accident lawyer at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm to learn more about how these claims work. 

Contact a New Jersey Roofing Accident Attorney Today!

After a serious fall from a roof, you may wonder if you can ever return to work. You may worry about medical bills and fear you won’t be able to support your family. You may wonder if you have all the facts about your injuries or if you can hold the negligent party(ies) accountable for injuries. 

If you were injured in a fall from a roof, you should not have to struggle to secure the benefits you deserve. New Jersey law protects workers’ rights against those employers and insurance companies who often try to deny or minimize claims to avoid paying the full compensation you are entitled to. When medical bills are piling up, and lost wages make it difficult to support yourself and your family, you need an experienced attorney to fight for your rights.

Our New Jersey workers’ compensation attorneys have over 35 years of experience aggressively representing construction, manufacturing, and warehouse workers seriously injured while on-the-job.  Our personal injury lawyers have also assisted workers in their third-party claims involved in all types of accident claims, including slip and fall accidents, dog bite attacks, car accidents, etc. We have successfully handled thousands of claims involving injured New Jersey workers, recovering over $100 million for our clients. Whether it be through a workers’ comp claim and/or a third-party personal injury case, our workers’ compensation and personal injury lawyers will help you navigate the complexities of the process, so you can focus on your recovery. To learn more about how we can help you pursue a workers’ compensation claim, give us a call today at (973) 920-7900 to request a FREE and confidential consultation. You can also connect with us through our online form. There is never a fee unless we win. We have two conveniently located offices in Denville and Morristown, New Jersey.