Parker Waichman LLP

Construction Accident Lawyers

Get Help From Skilled Construction Accident Lawyers If you work on construction projects, you recognize that you are employed in one of the most dangerous industries. Each year, the construction trades have one of the highest on-the-job fatality rates in the country. Building and renovation projects often are chaotic environments with rapidly changing conditions, a […]

Get Help From Skilled Construction Accident Lawyers

If you work on construction projects, you recognize that you are employed in one of the most dangerous industries. Each year, the construction trades have one of the highest on-the-job fatality rates in the country. Building and renovation projects often are chaotic environments with rapidly changing conditions, a multitude of hazards, and a rotating staff of people performing work.

When a construction employee suffers severe injury, the physical, emotional, and financial impact on the injured worker and his or her family can be devastating. Prolonged or even permanent disability is possible, and extensive medical care may be needed. Our experienced construction accident attorneys recognize these hardships and work diligently to obtain the financial recovery our clients need to move past their accident and rebuild their lives.

Common Types of Accidents in the Construction Industry

Although a wide range of hazards are found on the typical building project site, some causes of injury occur more frequently than others. Among the construction cases we handle are included:

  • Falls from ladders and scaffolds
  • Heavy equipment like bulldozers and cranes that can strike people on the ground or collide with other vehicles
  • Exposure to toxic substances
  • Injuries caused by falling objects
  • Accidents involving exposed power lines
  • Explosions and fires
  • Trench collapse and cave-in accidents

Law Governing the Rights of Injured Construction Workers

Many people are harmed by careless co-workers, an absence of required safety equipment or employer indifference to job site hazards. Federal and state laws provide special protections to individuals in the construction trades because of the high risk of severe injuries and fatalities. These protections sometimes provide legal options beyond a workers’ compensation claim against an employer, depending on your specific situation.

Financial responsibility for a construction project incident could be based on worker safety statute violations, general negligence or non-compliance with industrial codes. Sadly, severely injured employees sometimes simply allow their employer to rush them through the workers’ compensation system. Although this provides prompt access to medical care and partial income replacement, construction workers who experience catastrophic injury often find that the compensation received through this approach is woefully inadequate.

While workers’ compensation benefits are valuable, personal injury lawsuits typically result in far more extensive compensation. For too many people, workers’ compensation just isn’t adequate to cover their losses, and in those cases, you should contact our construction accident law firm. We can help you gain the full compensation you’re entitled to.

How Many People Have Died During Construction Work?

In just one year (2018), 1,008 people died in fatal construction accidents. That’s more than 20% of the 5,250 workers who lost their lives on the job that year. The hazards of the industry are quite clear. If you or a loved one have fallen victim to a construction injury at work, contact a construction accident lawyer today to stand up for your legal rights.

What should you do after you fall off a ladder on a construction site?

Video: Construction Accident Lawyers

If you get injured at a construction site whether it’s falling off a ladder, falling off a scaffold or you get hit by a falling object, or fall through a hole in the floor – if you’re able to immediately take a photo with your with your phone. It is it’s going to be helpful as it can give you the time of when the accident happened as well as capturing the scene before it gets moved around and changed.

The insurance companies on construction sites are very litigation savvy they’re going to fix the problem quickly almost like it didn’t exist and you never know they might even deny that it happened they might even deny that there was no safety devices but if you have a photo you have a video that was taken contemporaneously that’s going to be key to prove the liability in your case. Also after a fall report your accident to your supervisor immediately.

If you can’t get up you can’t move or for some other reason ask somebody to report it immediately because you don’t want them to have a defense that you created this as a story or that it never happened. I can tell you these insurance companies will use every defense they can to defend the insurance company and prevent paying you the money that they owe you.

They know that money is likely going to be a lot and they want to protect the insurance company so you need to do what you whatever you can do to record what happened. After those things are done you want to call a lawyer so they can get working on your case immediately.

Which Accident Kills the Most Construction Workers?

A caution sign depicting falling construction tools, warning of the risk of injury

 

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found that four types of accidents kill the most construction workers, with the most common being falls. OSHA’s “Fatal Four” accounted for more than 58% of the construction worker deaths in 2018. If the “Fatal Four” could be eliminated, 591 workers’ lives could be saved per year.

The “Fatal Four” causes of construction worker death are:

  1. Falls: 338 deaths in 2018 (33.5%)
  2. Being struck by an object: 112 deaths (11.1%)
  3. Electrocution: 86 deaths (8.5%)
  4. Caught-in/between accidents: 55 (5.5%)

What Can a Construction Accident Lawyer Help You Get Compensation For?

Many forms of damages recoverable in a civil lawsuit are unavailable under a mere workers’ compensation claim. These include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Adverse impact on a marital relationship
  • Punitive damages

But even when a type of compensation can be sought in both a workers’ compensation case and a lawsuit, the amount of the recovery will tend to be higher in a personal injury lawsuit. For example, personal injury lost wages are not capped at two thirds of the injury victim’s wages as they are with workers’ compensation. Our seasoned construction injury attorneys carefully evaluate our clients’ cases so we can decide the best approach to maximize each client’s recovery.

Trust Skilled Construction Accident Lawyers Who Get Results

Because our personal injury law firm has handled many construction accident claims over the past decades for injured workers, we have the knowledge and experience clients need to pursue the full value of their claim. Although no two cases are identical, we have recovered settlements or verdicts of more than a million dollars for multiple construction accident victims. Here are a few examples:

  • $2,185,531 Jury Verdict: Received jury verdict on behalf of a painter who fell when a ladder collapsed, causing injury to his back and neck as well as facial scars
  • $2,025,000 Settlement: Fall from a scaffold when drywall set against a wall tipped and hit the scaffold, causing multiple herniated discs and necessitating several surgeries
  • $1,475,000 Settlement: Two-story fall through an opening in a stairwell that was being constructed in a housing project
  • $1,250,000 Jury Verdict: Fall from a ladder covered in a slippery, greasy substance while working on electrical wires
  • $1,200,000 Settlement: Fall from makeshift scaffolding while painting the ceiling of a building.

Our construction accident attorneys guide clients, while navigating procedural, substantive, and timing requirements to get our clients the best results possible. Because our law firm has obtained massive jury verdicts and settlements in construction injury cases, insurance companies recognize that we will not hesitate to take a case to trial if this provides the best option for our client. And concerns over the cost of litigation often motivate insurance companies to reach reasonable settlements.

How a Top Construction Site Accident Lawyer Can Help

Because construction accident cases often differ from other occupational injuries, our construction accident law firm evaluates each case carefully to determine the best legal strategy. When an injured construction worker pursues a third-party negligence lawsuit, they must be able to prove that the defendant could exercise control over the worksite and that they knew or should have known of the hazard that caused the injury. The best lawyers for accident cases are ones that can bring the strongest possible case on your behalf. When you work with the talented attorneys at Parker Waichman, we’ll take care of a range of duties.

  • Evaluating Your Injury Claim: The process of analyzing a claim to determine its value necessitates knowledge of cases with prior similar facts and injuries, verdict and settlement research, and a thorough understanding of the calculation of workers’ compensation benefits and personal injury damages. Our law firm draws on decades of experience handling a broad range of construction accident cases to evaluate each case.
  • Determining a Claim/Litigation Strategy: The interplay of negligence law for third-party claims and the workers’ compensation system makes compensation recovery complicated. Our law firm has the extensive knowledge and proven record of success you want to maximize your damage award.
  • Demystifying the Process: Our construction accident attorneys know that many construction workers have never had a reason to work with a lawyer in the past, and the legal standards and mandatory procedures can be confusing. We take pride in communicating effectively while guiding clients through legal and factual issues.
  • Complying With Deadlines: The statute of limitations requires injury victims to bring a lawsuit within a specified period to preserve the right to file a lawsuit. The law has many deadlines that must be observed to avoid damaging your legal rights. A construction accident attorney at our firm can make sure that you’re in compliance.
  • Dealing With Insurance Companies: Whether you are pursuing a workers’ compensation claim, civil lawsuit or both, you usually will be dealing with an insurance company. While representatives of the insurer might be amicable and seem cooperative, the insurer maximizes its profits by paying the minimum amount to injury victims. Your construction accident injury lawyer will be committed to your best interests and be able to navigate any obstacles insurance carriers try to put in your way.

Talk to Our Construction
Accident Lawyers
and Get
Started on Your Case Today

If you or your injured loved one has experienced a construction accident, one of our construction injury lawyers would be glad to evaluate your situation and explain your rights to you. At Parker Waichman, we provide free consultations with no obligation as part of our commitment to helping workers and their families stand up for their legal rights. Just call 1-800-YOUR-LAWYER (1-800-968-7529) and a construction site accident attorney will review your case and determine whether you should consider seeking compensation in court. Contact us today and let our construction accident lawyers tenaciously pursue the best outcome for you.

Sources:

Additional Construction Accident Information

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Construction Accident News & Lawsuits

 

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