Recent Hand Injury Verdict Highlights the Dangers of Missing Machine Guards

Amputation of fingers or limbs is a serious risk for many machine operators throughout the United States.  One of the leading causes of workplace amputation injuries is the lack of machine guards. When machinery guards are missing on a piece of machinery, the machine operator’s machine is unsafe and dangerous to operate, use or service.

According to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 8,000 non-fatal amputation cases occur annually in the private sector, with 44% of these accidents occurring in the field of manufacturing (including factories and storage facilities).  Other occupational fields susceptible to amputation injury include construction, agriculture and wholesale/retail trades.

Many amputation and other serious hand injuries involve the use of common machinery such as power tools, woodworking equipment and conveyors. This type of equipment and machinery should be outfitted with appropriate guards to protect against inadvertent contact with moving parts.  Machine guards are intended to be a physical barrier that prevent exposure to dangerous machine components; they can also include devices that prevent inadvertent access to the hazardous machinery components by automatically shutting off the machine in certain circumstances.  Other safety measures used to prevent hand injuries include awareness barriers, awareness signs and other visual alerts to warn employees to remain vigilant in hazardous areas.

The Philadelphia personal injury attorneys at Galfand Berger have litigated numerous hand injury lawsuits , obtaining substantial recoveries on behalf of our clients. Galfand Berger partner, Richard Jurewicz, Esq., recently obtained a jury verdict of over $730,000.00 for a machine operator who suffered a crush injury to 2 fingers caused by an unguarded piece of machinery.

In that Dauphin County personal injury lawsuit, the non-dominant hand of a printing press operator got caught in a printing press machine shaft roll that did not have a guard.  The incident resulted in the operator suffering fractured ring and long fingers, requiring surgery. As a result of the accident, the injured man has ongoing minor loss of range of motion in his two fingers.  Read about more of Mr. Jurewicz’s substantial hand injury recoveries:

$2.5 Million Settlement for Recycling Plant Worker’s Arm & Hand Injury

$2.25 Million Jury Verdict for Factory Worker’s Hand Injury

$1.475 Million Recovery for Conveyor Belt Injury

$975,000 Recovery for a Machine Injury

The Philadelphia Hand Injury Attorneys at Galfand Berger Help Victims of Unguarded Machinery Accidents Obtain Compensation for Their Injuries

If you or your loved one has been injured while working on machinery with a missing or defective machinery guard, you may be entitled to compensation. At the personal injury law firm of Galfand Berger, our experienced products liability attorneys can handle all of your machinery injury claims and help you obtain compensation for your injuries including past and future medical costs, loss of earnings and pain and suffering.

With offices conveniently located in Philadelphia, Reading and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, we represent injured individuals and their families throughout Pennsylvania, including the Harrisburg and Allentown region, as well as the South Jersey area.  Call Rick Jurewicz today at 1-800-222-USWA (8792) to schedule a free consultation or submit an online inquiry form for any type of hand, finger or arm injury or accident.