King County Ladder & Scaffold Accident Attorney
Injury Law Group NW represents people across King County who have been hurt in falls from ladders, scaffolds, and other elevated work platforms, from Seattle and the Eastside to Kent and Renton. Our attorneys spent decades defending insurance companies before changing sides, and we now use that knowledge to get full compensation for injured workers, contractors, and members of the public.
If you are looking for a King County ladder and scaffold accident attorney, the first thing to know is that a fall from height is rarely just “an accident.” A ladder that kicks out, a scaffold plank that gives way, a guardrail that was never installed: these usually trace back to a decision somebody made about equipment, training, or cost. Finding who made that decision, and which insurer stands behind them, is the real work of these cases.
The second thing to know is that who you were working for does not end the inquiry. A worker hurt on a job site will typically have a workers’ compensation claim, but that system does not pay for pain and suffering, and it does not hold negligent property owners, general contractors, or equipment companies accountable. Third-party claims can fill that gap.
Why Choose Injury Law Group NW for a Ladder or Scaffold Fall Case
Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm serving King County, Issaquah, Bellevue, Seattle, and the greater Puget Sound region. We take on construction injuries, serious falls, and brain injuries, and we work on a contingency fee basis, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Consultations are free and confidential, and our case managers return calls and texts promptly.
What sets the firm apart in fall cases is where our lawyers came from. Founding partner Troy Hunter spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, defending insurers and corporate clients against personal injury, wrongful death, and construction defect claims. Attorney David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at the Seattle defense firm Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, trying wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and product liability cases before judges and juries. Both Troy and David are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. David has been selected to the Super Lawyers list and teaches trial and deposition skills as faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Troy also serves as a dispute mediator. Associate attorneys Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold complete the team, and the firm is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice.
Why does that matter for a scaffold or ladder case? Because these claims often involve several insurers pointing at each other: the property owner’s carrier, the general contractor’s carrier, a subcontractor’s carrier, and sometimes an equipment manufacturer’s. We know how those carriers evaluate exposure, which records they ask for first, and when they are preparing to fight rather than settle. Our attorneys have argued at every level of the Washington court system, from district court to the Washington Supreme Court, and we prepare every claim as though it will be tried.
Our results reflect that approach. Recent outcomes include a mid-six-figure settlement for a family of five whose minivan was forced into the I-5 center barrier by a semi-truck, a mid-six-figure settlement for an elderly woman struck by a transit bus in a downtown Seattle crosswalk, and more than $1 million for parents whose newborn died after a hospital failed to adequately test for Group B Strep, a case that also led the hospital to change its procedures. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a future outcome. Clients describe our team as professional, communicative, honest, and quick to respond, and David Mordekhov is fluent in Russian while Warren Barreiro speaks Spanish.
Where Ladder and Scaffold Falls Happen in King County
- Residential Construction and Remodeling: Roofing crews, framers, siders, and painters work from extension ladders and pump-jack scaffolds on homes across the Eastside and Seattle neighborhoods, where steep lots and wet weather make footing unreliable.
- Commercial and High-Rise Projects: Downtown Seattle and Bellevue building sites use supported scaffolds, suspended platforms, and swing stages, where a missing guardrail, an overloaded platform, or an improperly erected frame can lead to a fall from many stories.
- Ladder Failures and Misuse: Defective rungs, damaged feet, ladders set on soft ground, and ladders too short for the job cause serious falls. Sometimes the ladder itself is defective, which opens a product claim against the manufacturer or seller.
- Scaffold Collapses and Plank Failures: Inadequate bracing, missing base plates, uninspected components, and overloaded decks give way without warning, often injuring several workers at once.
- Electrocution Near Elevated Work: Metal ladders and scaffolds contacting overhead power lines turn a fall hazard into an electrical one, a risk on both construction and utility work.
- Falls Involving Non-Workers: Delivery drivers, inspectors, tenants, shoppers, and passersby are hurt by falling tools, collapsing platforms, or unsecured ladders around retail and commercial properties.
- Traumatic Brain and Spinal Injuries: Head strikes on concrete or steel, fractured vertebrae, and shattered limbs are common results, and brain injuries may not show up clearly on a scan right away.
What to Do After a Fall From a Ladder or Scaffold
Get medical care first, even if you think you walked away fine. Falls from height cause internal injuries, concussions, and spinal damage that can be quiet for hours or days, and a gap between the fall and your first treatment is something insurers will seize on. Be specific with every provider about how you fell and what hurts, because those early records become the backbone of your claim.
If you can, or if someone with you can, photograph the ladder, scaffold, ground conditions, guardrails, and surrounding area before anything is moved, repaired, or taken away. Equipment tends to disappear quickly after a fall. Get names and contact details for coworkers and bystanders, and write down who owned the site, who the general contractor was, and who supplied or erected the equipment. If you were working, report the injury to your employer promptly and file your workers’ compensation claim; that is separate from a third-party injury claim, and one does not cancel the other.
Be careful with insurers. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurance company, and adjusters ask questions designed to minimize your injuries or shift blame to you. Talk to a lawyer before you do.
Deadlines matter. Washington generally gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit, and that same three-year period applies to wrongful death claims, counted from the date of death. A suit is considered started by filing or by service, so long as the other step is completed within 90 days. If a city, county, or other local government is involved, such as a fall on a public project, a formal claim must be presented to that entity on the standard form, delivered in person or sent by mail with return receipt, and you must wait 60 days after presentment before suing. Email and fax generally do not count. Claims against the state have their own 60-day waiting period after the claim is presented to the state’s risk management office. Cases in King County are usually filed in King County Superior Court, which sits in Seattle and at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent; smaller claims can fall within the District Court’s civil jurisdiction. Larger fall injuries almost always belong in Superior Court.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Scaffold or Ladder Injury
The employer is usually protected by the workers’ compensation system, but almost everyone else on a job site can be a target. Property owners and developers have a duty to keep their sites reasonably safe. General contractors control the overall site and coordinate trades. Subcontractors who erect scaffolds or leave openings unguarded can be liable to workers from other companies. Equipment rental companies and manufacturers may be responsible if a ladder or scaffold component was defective or poorly maintained.
Proving liability in these cases is largely about records and physical evidence: inspection logs, safety plans, training files, incident reports, site photographs, equipment purchase and maintenance history, and communications between the contractors. A King County ladder accident attorney who understands how defense lawyers build their responses will go after those records early, before they are lost or sanitized. Safety rules, including the workplace fall protection standards enforced by the state’s labor agency, can be strong evidence of what a careful company would have done.
Washington follows comparative fault, so if you were partly to blame, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not barred. Defense insurers often overstate that percentage, arguing the injured person climbed too high, skipped a harness, or misused the equipment. Those arguments weaken considerably when the harness was never provided, the scaffold lacked guardrails, or the crew was never trained.
Where a worker dies, the personal representative can bring a wrongful death action for the benefit of a spouse or domestic partner and children, and, if none, for parents or siblings. Construction-related claims also face a six-year outer limit tied to substantial completion of the project, though that limit generally cannot be raised as a defense by the owner or person in control of the improvement when the claim arises.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ladder and Scaffold Injury Claims
Can I sue if I was hurt at work on a ladder or scaffold?
Often, yes. Workers’ compensation generally covers your claim against your own employer, but you may also have a third-party claim against a property owner, general contractor, another subcontractor, or an equipment maker. Those claims can recover damages that workers’ compensation does not.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit in King County?
Most injury lawsuits in Washington must be filed within three years of the injury. Claims against government entities require a pre-suit claim and a 60-day wait, so it is wise to talk with a lawyer well before the deadline.
What if I was partly at fault for the fall?
Washington’s comparative fault rule reduces your compensation by your share of fault but does not bar recovery. If you were found 20 percent responsible, you could still recover 80 percent of your damages.
What compensation is available?
Depending on the claim, damages can include past and future medical care, lost wages and lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering. In serious fall cases, long-term care and vocational losses are often the largest components.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
The first consultation is free and confidential. We handle injury cases on a contingency basis, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
Does workers’ compensation affect my third-party case?
The two claims run on separate tracks, but they interact. The workers’ compensation system may be entitled to reimbursement from a third-party recovery, and the timing of settlements matters. We coordinate both so one does not undercut the other.
What if the ladder or scaffold was defective?
A product claim may be available against the manufacturer or seller. Washington’s product liability law generally bars claims brought more than three years after you discovered, or should have discovered, the harm and its cause, and a presumption arises that a product’s useful safe life has expired when harm occurs more than twelve years after delivery. Preserving the equipment is critical.
What if I was a homeowner’s guest or a bystander, not a worker?
You can bring a standard premises or negligence claim against whoever controlled the site or equipment. Because workers’ compensation does not apply to you, your claim is against the responsible parties directly.
Will my medical bills be covered while the case is pending?
Health insurance, and in some cases workers’ compensation, can cover treatment while the claim moves forward. If the fall involved a vehicle, personal injury protection coverage may also apply. We help coordinate these sources so bills do not pile up.
How long does a ladder or scaffold injury case take?
It depends on injury severity and how hard the insurers fight. Cases with serious or permanent injuries often take longer because we usually wait until your medical picture is clear before valuing the claim. Rushing to settle before you know your long-term outlook is a common and costly mistake.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer if the fall seems minor?
Often it is. Back, neck, and head injuries can worsen over days or weeks, and early low offers from insurers rarely account for that. A free consultation will tell you whether your claim justifies representation.
Can you meet me if I cannot travel?
Yes. If your injuries make travel difficult, we will meet you at your home or the hospital at a time that works for you.
Serving King County Ladder and Scaffold Injury Clients
We represent injured workers and families throughout King County, from the high-rise and infrastructure sites of Seattle to the residential building boom across the Eastside. Our work reaches clients in Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, and Issaquah, and extends south through Renton and Kent. We also serve people in the surrounding communities of the greater Seattle area and the wider Puget Sound region. Whether a fall happened on a downtown tower, a suburban roofing job, or a commercial renovation, our team handles construction injury claims across the county.
Talk With a King County Scaffold Accident Attorney Today
If a ladder or scaffold failure has left you or a family member badly hurt, speak with a King County scaffold accident attorney at Injury Law Group NW. Call or text us to schedule a free, confidential consultation. We will listen to what happened, explain your options, and push for the medical care and compensation you need to move forward. We give hope. We get results.
