Were you or a loved one recently hurt in a construction accident? This is a serious matter that could impact your family’s financial wellbeing. It’s important to evaluate the situation quickly and see if you will need a construction accident lawyer.
Is There a Third-Party Claim?
A workplace injury that happens on a construction site should be covered by the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. However, the injured person may be an independent contractor or a subcontractor/laborer who, for a specific reason, is not covered under any specific policy. In many types of scenarios, there could still be the potential for seeking recovery from a third party, whose actions or negligence were directly or indirectly responsible for the victim’s injuries. You need a construction accident attorney if you believe there is a claim against a third party, not the injured person’s workers’ compensation carrier or employer.
A different kind of lawyer (WC) handles any disputes between the direct employer and employee. Keep in mind that workers’ compensation benefits, when paid, may not be enough to fully compensate the victim and his or her family. Construction accident victims often find it hard to earn a living and may face a reduced quality of life.
Consult a Lawyer to Determine If You Need Personal Injury Assistance for a Construction Accident
You want to consult a construction accident attorney at your earliest convenience and let the lawyer’s legal staff do the investigation. They can check with multiple companies, operators, employees, equipment, and their insurance companies and see if anyone is potentially liable for any aspect of the adverse event. A personal injury lawyer must determine if your injuries were preventable. Presumably, the third-party organizations, persons, or individuals would then become the defendants in a separate lawsuit, which would be in addition to any workers’ compensation claim.
Potential Types of Claims
Many things could go wrong with the activities occurring on a construction site. Some potential claims that we consider are:
- Negligent behavior of an individual or group
- Defective machinery
- Unsafe building materials
- Defective personal protective gear
- Premises liability, an undisclosed hazard that was known to the property owner
- Lack of security
There may be more than one third-party claim, including one against the property or equipment owner and the manufacturer of the equipment. If a personal injury lawyer is going to successfully argue for negligence, the worker must have extensive medical evidence of injuries related to this accident.
If you and your family delay seeking the advice of a construction accident lawyer, then important evidence could be damaged or lost in this case. Construction sites are unique environments in which the conditions change daily.
How an Accident Lawyer Helps
When you work on a construction site, there are many potential hazards. Some workers operate heavy equipment. Others will climb up ladders, scaffolds, or walls to access different parts of the structure under construction. Because the worker is often at risk, a safety helmet must be worn and sometimes other types of equipment.
If the conditions are unsafe, then anyone on the site could get hurt. You would hire an attorney to be your representative, advocating for your legal rights and preparing medical bills, lost wages, and other evidence of the impact on your life to send to the insurance company and demand compensation. If you wait too long to act, you could miss the legal deadline for filing your claim.
What Happens to the Injured Worker?
If you are hurt through no fault of your own, you will have extensive medical bills and lost time from work. The expenses will add up quickly, and you will be hard-pressed to support yourself and your family. You could also face a lifetime of medical costs for treatments, surgeries, therapies, medication, and rehab. It’s hard to estimate how an accident that occurs when you are aged 25 and able-bodied, for example, will impact you when you are age 50. This underserved financial hardship that has befallen your family is not acceptable. If you cannot return to work, you deserve to receive serious compensation. You and your family should not need to feel alone or try to negotiate this claim without an attorney.
Soften the Economic Impact through an Experienced Construction Accident Attorney
When an attorney represents you, the economic losses are one component of the personal injury lawsuit. We also look for damages arising from the emotional distress that you have incurred and the fact that you have lost the potential to live a full life. Your earning capacity is also diminished or destroyed. With all these medical limitations related to your disability, the defendants should be brought to justice through the civil courts and expected to pay a reasonable settlement. While winning a lawsuit will not restore your body to its former condition, any financial relief would help with the ongoing medical costs resulting from the accident.
If you were hurt on a construction site, you could grab the attention of the insurance company for the defendant by demanding justice. If you wait and do nothing, then the defendants get away with it, and you are stuck with all the bills. Contact us today about a free consultation. We welcome the opportunity to review your potential claim and determine if we can help.