Texas Heavy Equipment Accident Lawyer

Cranes, excavators, bulldozers, skid steers, backhoes, loaders, and graders are indispensable on Texas construction, oilfield, road-building, and demolition sites — and they are responsible for some of the most catastrophic workplace injuries in the state. When a crane drops a load, when an excavator operator runs over a ground worker, when a bulldozer rolls backward off a berm, or when a skid steer pins an employee against a wall, the injuries are almost always life-changing. A Texas heavy equipment accident lawyer at McFarlane Law investigates these incidents, identifies every liable party, and pursues the full compensation that injured workers and their families deserve. Our firm has recovered more than $100 million for injured Texans.

Common Heavy Equipment Accident Scenarios

Struck-by and run-over events account for the majority of serious heavy-equipment injuries in Texas. Ground workers are hit by swinging counterweights on excavators, crushed by reversing dozers that lack backup alarms or camera systems, or struck by loads swinging from overhead cranes. Rollovers happen when equipment operates on unstable grade, when operators fail to use seat belts or when ROPS (rollover protective structures) are missing or disabled. Caught-in-between injuries are common when maintenance workers crawl under raised booms or buckets that are not properly blocked. Electrocutions occur when cranes and lifts contact overhead power lines. Mechanical failures — hydraulic line ruptures, brake failures, steering malfunctions — produce runaway equipment and sudden-movement injuries. Every scenario has a distinct causation theory that can support claims against multiple defendants.

Who Is Liable for a Texas Heavy Equipment Accident?

Liability extends well beyond the operator. The equipment owner or rental company can be liable for renting unsafe or unmaintained machines, for failing to deliver working safety systems, and for negligently hiring or training the operator. General contractors owe duties to coordinate ground and equipment traffic, enforce spotter requirements, and maintain adequate separation zones. Equipment manufacturers face product-liability claims when a specific unit had a design defect (inadequate blind-spot mirrors, missing backup alarms, unreliable hydraulics) or a manufacturing defect (a defective coupling that separated during operation). Maintenance contractors can be sued for negligent inspections and repairs. Premises owners share responsibility when unstable grade, concealed utilities, or unmarked hazards contributed. In Texas non-subscriber (no workers’ comp) cases, the employer itself can be sued for negligent supervision, hiring, and training — a path that leads to much bigger recoveries than workers’ comp alone.

Catastrophic Injuries From Heavy Equipment

Heavy-equipment victims frequently sustain multiple severe injuries at once. Crush injuries produce orthopedic trauma requiring external fixation, multiple surgeries, and sometimes amputation. Traumatic brain injuries result from falls, struck-by incidents, and rollovers — often with long-term cognitive, emotional, and vocational consequences. Spinal cord injuries can cause paraplegia or quadriplegia when the spinal column is crushed by equipment or by the weight of the victim’s body during a fall. Burns from hydraulic fluid, fuel, or fire accompany many rollovers. Internal organ damage from blunt-force trauma requires emergency exploratory surgery. And psychological injuries — PTSD, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain syndromes — affect even physically recovered workers. Damages models for these cases commonly exceed seven figures once future medical care, loss of earning capacity, and non-economic damages are properly documented.

Evidence You Need to Preserve Now

In the first days after a heavy-equipment accident, critical evidence begins to disappear. Contractors return rented machines, service them, or send them to other projects. Electronic data recorders (EDRs) and telematics systems (Caterpillar VisionLink, John Deere JDLink) record speed, braking, engine load, and operator inputs — but that data is routinely overwritten or purged. Maintenance records, operator credentials, and daily pre-shift inspection forms may be lost or altered. Ground-worker assignment lists, spotter training records, and daily safety meeting minutes are often the first things to go missing. McFarlane Law sends immediate preservation letters, requests OSHA investigative files, and retains forensic engineers to download equipment data before it is destroyed. The sooner we are involved, the stronger your Texas heavy-equipment case becomes.

Related Practice Areas

Heavy equipment injuries often cross into other silos: Texas construction accident lawyer, Texas oilfield accident lawyer, Texas industrial machinery accident lawyer, Texas workplace wrongful death lawyer, Texas personal injury lawyer. Hub: Texas workplace injury lawyer.

Talk to a Texas Injury Lawyer Today

If heavy equipment hurt you or killed a loved one in Texas, call before the jobsite is cleared. McFarlane Law investigates nationwide and offers free case evaluations with no fee unless we win. Austin (512) 222-4900 — Odessa (432) 803-5000. Calls answered 24/7.