What to Do if You’re in a Construction Accident

Did you know that 13 workers die every day in construction accidents? The figure for construction-related injuries is even higher. Construction accidents can be deadly, lead to pain and suffering, and they can also lead to life-long disabilities.

If you’ve been involved in a construction accident, you need to take action now.

Don’t wait.

Nolo explains that you have a lot of legal options of you file a claim before the statute of limitations limit.

Workers’ Compensation

Workers injured while at work are most likely able to file a workers’ compensation claim. These claims allow you to seek compensation for:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Disability

Workers’ compensation also alleviates a lot of the liability that your employer is subject to following an accident. Workers’ compensation is a “no fault” system in most scenarios. You won’t have to prove negligence when filing a claim.

Pain and suffering is given up in a workers’ compensation claim in lieu of the claim being able to go through without the expense of litigation. You just need to prove that the injuries sustained occurred at your place of work.

Other Litigation Options Available

Injured persons can bring a civil lawsuit against a person or entity. The circumstances involved in your injury will play a role in how you can pursue damages. A lawyer will need to go over your case to see what your options are.

But, there is such a thing as negligence and the duty of care.

In essence, if you were injured because of someone’s negligence or failure to meet duty of care, you might be able to file a civil lawsuit against the employer. An example of failure to meet duty of care, includes:

• Defective equipment
• Improper scaffolding
• Repetitive motion injuries

You may also be able to file a claim for product liability if equipment failure was the cause of your injuries.

Proper Steps to Take to Protect Your Health and Rights

You need to take the proper steps following an accident to protect two important things: your health and rights. You’ll need to:

1. Seek medical attention. Immediate medical attention is required. Don’t forget to seek independent medical attention, too. On-site medical care is not enough. You want to have an independent doctor examine you to ensure that you have an objective evaluation. On-site medical care works for your employer, so their medical opinion may not be objective.
2. Get copies of everything. You’ll have a lot of paperwork to fill out after an accident. Make sure that you always ask for a copy of the paperwork. Keep all paperwork filed away so that you have records of everything from incident reports to medical treatment. If you choose to seek legal remedies following your accident, this paperwork will be invaluable.
3. Wait before signing a settlement. Employers and insurance companies don’t want you to have a huge settlement. In fact, they’ll often ask you to sign documents that sign away your rights. You don’t want to agree to anything if you plan to take legal action. You might sign something that waives your rights to seek further compensation.

Always focus on your health before anything else. Once you’ve focused on your health, you can take the steps to seek legal action against your employer.