A retail and residential building under construction collapsed today in suburban Richmond, Virginia and police believe a dozen workers may be trapped inside. A 60-foot section crashed down around noon and 922 dispatchers received several calls that men were trapped in the rubble.

Chesterfield County Fire Lieutenant Matt Coffin said that rescuers are going slowly due to the time it takes to stabilize a collapsed building. He said the search may take hours. Sound-sensitive equipment was brought in to detect movement within the building. It is unknown what caused the collapse at this time.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, please contact an experienced injury lawyer in your area for an initial claim evaluation.

An accident involving a crane killed a construction worker on the West Side of Manhattan Thursday as he and others were working to lower the crane. He was working as a crane rigger and on a platform attached to the crane. The platform tilted, causing the worker to lose his balance and fall 400 feet to the pavement below.

This is the third fatal accident involving cranes in New York City this year, and another of many crane accidents that have occurred across the country. In this specific case, investigators are still trying to determine if the platform was anchored properly and why the worker's safety harness he wore was not attached to anything. The safety harness stretches from a worker's thighs and up around their shoulders, and is attached to supports along the building. Investigators have been able to determine that the platform was secured at two points instead of the four it needed. They are also looking into whether the safety railing at the back of the platform, and which the worker fell through, was removed.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.

Investigators with OSHA have begun looking into what caused a massive crane to collapse in Houston on Friday, July 18, killing four workers and injuring seven others. The 30-story crane, which can lift up to a million pounds, collapsed at an oil refinery run by LyondellBasell. According to OSHA investigators, at this point it is too early to determine what caused the collapse.

LyondellBasell officials say the crane collapsed during maintenance, and was not scheduled for any work until this week. It has been noted that the engine was idling after the crane hit the ground. Deep South Crane & Rigging of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, owner of the crane, said they will cooperate fully with the federal investigation.

This collapse adds to the unusually high number of crane accidents that have been reported in places like New York City, Las Vegas, and Miami. Nine people have died so far this year in New York City as a result of collapsing cranes.

The Associated Press has noted that cities and states with rules governing construction cranes vary wildly. Some states have no guidelines at all for cranes, and look to federal guidelines that are almost 40 years old. Experts say these guidelines have not kept up with advances in technology.

A lawsuit has already been filed on behalf of Grant Pasek, who was injured when he jumped from an elevated bucket as the crane began to collapse. The lawsuit seeks a restraining order to preserve evidence, as well as the scene of the collapse.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

Three construction workers were electrocuted in Murrysville, Pennsylvania today while setting up scaffolding outside a home. Two of the workers died and the third suffered a burn on his leg.

The three had been working at the home all week long. As they were setting up the scaffolding, one of the beams got away from them. They tried to control it, but the beam hit a high-voltage wire. Murrysville Police Chief Thomas Seefeld believes all three had their hands on the beam when it touched the power line.

A pediatrician and nurses ran from the building next door to try to revive the men. The two who died were in cardiac arrest as they were transported to the hospital where they were declared dead. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

Workplace electrocutions, while uncommon, are a danger in many jobs. Construction workers bear the brunt of electrocutions at the workplace, although anyone who works around high-voltage power lines is at risk.

If you or a loved one has been electrocuted in a construction accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

Another tool to help determine what exactly occurred during an accident has been developed. An event data recorder, often referred to as a black box, in a car or truck provides what engineer Jim Graham, senior engineer at Graham Ryan Consulting, says is, "an electronic fingerprint of what happened" during a crash. This creates "an unbiased source of data" which can be used in court or by insurance agencies to determine who was at fault, or how the accident transpired.

Technology like this is especially useful for forensic engineers when trying to piece together why a pickup truck rolls off a road (using something called an inclinometer), or who caused an accident when both drivers claim to have been stopped. The event data recorder can also be used in construction equipment, such as in cranes that collapse or heavy machinery that catches fire.

Imagine how much guess work can be eliminated during investigation and resulting lawsuits with technology. While this has yet to make it into every vehicle on the road, or every piece of construction equipment, using event data recorders can help victims of accidents by showing the truth, and eliminate any ambiguity.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

The crane collapse that killed two workers in Manhattan last week may have been due to a rebuilt part removed from another crane because it was worn out. Investigators are focusing on a failed weld on the crane's turntable. The turntable helps the crane to change direction and swivel.

In May 2007, the turntable was removed from another crane after a construction worker noticed it was cracked. New York Crane & Equipment Corp., the crane's owner, installed it on the crane that collapsed after having a welding company fix it. According to Bill J. Smith, president of claims and risk management for NationsBuilders Insurance Services, the repaired turntable was inspected and tested twice before it was installed. In addition to focusing on the cracked turntable, investigators are also looking into the frequency of inspections and maintenance on the crane. The crane is reportedly 24-years-old.

Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation, and three other agencies are looking into the collapse. This is the second collapse of a crane in Manhattan in the last two-and-a-half months.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

Yet another construction accident involving a crane in New York City killed one person and critically injured two others this morning. All three were construction workers. One pedestrian suffered minor injuries, and nearby apartments were evacuated as a precaution. This time the crane collapse was during rush hour on the Upper East Side.

The arm of the crane reportedly fell more than 20 stories, hitting an apartment building as it fell. The sound was described by one witness as hearing a "prolonged car accident." The crane was also reported to be on fire and water was coming out of the damaged apartments.

This accident follows a Manhattan crane collapse in March that killed seven people. While these two accidents took place in a short amount of time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that there is no connection – only coincidence.

Construction can be a dangerous job, even when there is no crane involved. However, site managers and OSHA try to improve the sites through regulations and rules. When this doesn't work, the job sites are shut down pending an investigation, and/or fines are imposed. This certainly puts a crimp in the progress of the job, the employees of the sites, and the pocketbooks of many, but what about those who are injured or killed?

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

A natural gas leak is being blamed for the explosion that sent 14 workers to the hospital and felt blocks away. Three of them are in critical condition. The explosion occurred in San Diego at a Hilton Hotel under construction and was centered in the fifth-floor utility room. Four other floors sustained extensive damage.

Some of those injured were able to get out on their own, but others needed aid from emergency crews. The injured workers suffered bumps and bruises, cuts, scrapes and burns. A firefighter was also treated on the scene for a finger injury.

The San Diego bomb squad and search-dog teams were called to the scene to help determine the cause. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was also on scene to gather evidence. While authorities know the gas came in contact with an ignition source, they are still trying to determine if that source was something electrical, or even from the boilers turning on.

If you have suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a construction accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

A steelworker is in critical condition after falling 25 feet from a building under construction in Manhattan. This occurred during Construction Safety Week, and one day after a ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral to honor those killed in construction accidents in New York this year. So far 13 people have been killed in construction accidents since the beginning of 2008. This is more than died in all of 2007.

It is unclear what caused 28-year-old Christopher Gunn to fall, but it had been drizzling that morning and may have caused the steel to become slippery. Gunn fell to the concrete below and shattered his safety helmet. This accident comes two weeks after a 25-year-old worker installing windows fell 23 stories after a strap apparently failed. A stop-work order has been issued at the site where Gunn was working, and an investigation has begun to find out if there were violations of work rules or building codes. The Department of Buildings has vowed a hard line if violations are discovered.

The recent spate of accidents has caused an "upheaval" at New York's Department of Buildings where buildings commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster resigned last week during city and state hearings on construction safety.

Another serious accident occurred on Monday, April 28, when a construction worker was run over by a front-end loader on Staten Island. The 48-year-old man is also listed in critical condition.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

A crane collapsed in New York City on Saturday, smashing into a high-rise and crushing a brownstone below. Five construction workers are confirmed dead and two people are missing, including a woman who was visiting a friend for St. Patrick's Day.

It is unknown at this point what caused the crane to collapse, but Mayor Bloomberg states that mechanical failure or human error may be to blame. The crane, which was attached to an apartment building under construction, was inspected on Friday. On Saturday, it was being lengthened with a new section when it fell more than 20 stories. The company that manages the crane believes a piece of steel fell, which then sliced through the tie holding the crane to the apartment building. Witnesses said they could see people hanging onto the crane as it crashed into the apartment and brownstone.

Site Has Violations

Though Mayor Bloomberg does not believe other cranes in the city are in danger of collapsing, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer thinks Bloomberg should form a task force to inspect major construction sites. Over the past 27 months, the city has issued 13 violations to the construction site where the crane fell. In response to this, Bloomberg stated, "Every large construction site has violations."

Until more is known about the crane collapse, family members of the dead, as well as those whose homes were destroyed will have to wait to find out why this happened.

If you have lost a loved one or suffered an injury due to a construction site accident, please contact a personal injury lawyer in your area to find out your legal options.