Types of Construction Injuries

If you sustained injuries on a construction site, our construction injury attorneys can help you with a claim. You may have a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury lawsuit. At Russell & Lazarus APC, we have experience helping people injured on construction sites and can explain your options.

Construction Work Is Dangerous

Construction injury attorneys understand that construction work is easily one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Construction workers not only perform manual labor tasks; they also face dangerous working conditions and equipment, depending on the type of construction job.

In addition, job sites are often in remote locations during residential construction. The scope of work settings and duties for construction workers ranges widely. This can result in a wide range of common construction injuries that injury attorneys have encountered. While construction injuries can involve any part of the worker’s body, some causes of construction accidents may not affect other industries.

Overhead Work Duties

Many construction projects require building up as well as out, and construction workers can be stationed well above the ground, often on a scaffolding system. This is common in metropolitan construction jobs that use airspace as well as ground space. High-rise projects are among the most dangerous undertakings, and falls happen regularly. Construction workers are vulnerable to injuries resulting from a personal fall. Moreover, falling objects can strike workers on the ground at any time. The ground is not necessarily a safe work location either. Construction injury attorneys represent falling-object injuries in many claims.

Defective Production Equipment

Construction workers rely on a wide range of tools for nearly every job task. Some construction equipment can still be dangerous to operate, often because it requires significant power or precision to complete tasks properly. Several different operators generally use construction tools. Equipment can fail without warning, which can easily result in serious injury to the operator or coworkers. This is one legal area many injured workers do not realize they must address when filing a workers’ compensation claim for a construction work injury. Still, construction injury attorneys understand how to investigate a work injury and identify all potential revenue streams for damage recovery.

Even when an employer and the workers’ compensation insurance company agree an injury is a valid work injury, a defective product claim may still be available in some situations. Insurance coverage for the worker may not be the only responsibility issue if negligence may be documented against a tool manufacturer. The law holds product manufacturers to a strict liability standard for defective products, meaning you don’t need to prove negligence as in other civil tort injury claims.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

Injuries to the hands and back are some of the most common injuries that occur among construction workers. Many individuals who complete a career in construction will develop problems with both at some time. Repetitive motion disorders can prove to be difficult claims to win without a solid personal injury attorney. You need a legal professional who knows how to build a reasonable claim that an injury is not the result of an accident, but of being overworked in many employment situations.

Back injuries also often do not manifest until after a work shift is completed. Or they may only show up after an extended period of workdays has taxed certain body parts. Always seek medical treatment as soon as possible for any injury that may be work-related.

Falls on Construction Sites

As much as 35% of construction worker deaths occur due to falls. Falls can occur on a construction site due to a variety of causes, including:

• Ladders that are unstable or broken
• Slips and trips
• Lower level falls
• Collapsed scaffolds
• Slippery surfaces
• Holes in floors

Construction injury attorneys can review your site and determine whether your employer should have identified a dangerous situation. Many times, this makes them responsible for your injuries. Their negligence may even make them liable in workers’ compensation or personal injury cases.

Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim

If you sustained an injury at work, you may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ compensation is a system that does not consider fault. No matter who is to blame for your injury, if you have workers’ compensation coverage, construction injury attorneys can help.

To find out whether you have workers’ compensation coverage, you must determine whether your employer had insurance. Many states require employers to carry workers’ comp insurance; however, exceptions exist. Our construction injury attorneys can request information from your employer and state government agencies to determine if you had coverage.

If you are covered, you can usually get compensation to cover the following:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Temporary disability
• Permanent disability
• Partial or total loss of use of a body part

Workers’ compensation is beneficial; however, you often can’t obtain compensation for all of your losses. You may not recover all of your lost wages, and you likely can’t recover for pain and suffering. Our construction injury attorneys can help you understand what damages you can recover.

Third Party Lawsuits

Whether workers’ comp covers you or not, you may be able to file a personal injury claim against the person or company responsible for your injuries. If someone other than a coworker or your employer caused your injuries, construction injury attorneys can help you understand your legal options.

Defective construction equipment often leads to third-party lawsuits based on product liability law. If defective machinery or other equipment on a construction site harmed you, you can file a claim against the company that designed or manufactured it.

Defective product lawsuits on construction sites often arise from the following:

• Unreasonably dangerous tools
• Defective equipment
• Toxic products
• Safety products that do not protect the user

Claimants may file a third-party lawsuit alongside a workers’ compensation claim. By having construction injury attorneys help you file both, you subsequently have a better chance of recovering for all of your losses.

Contact an Orange County Construction Injury Attorney

It is always a good idea to consult a professional personal injury lawyer like Russell & Lazarus APC, among the most aggressive construction injury attorneys in Orange County. Call (877) 789-4878 today and let us evaluate your construction workers’ compensation claim for maximum damage recovery potential.