Gilbert Construction Accident Lawyers

How Construction Accidents Impact Workers

If you’ve been hurt in a construction accident, it can impact your life in a wide variety of ways both physically and financially. Suffering injuries like traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, contusions or lacerations, disfigurement, and paralysis can be life-altering. You may also have a loved one you lost in a construction accident and that can change your life forever. When someone’s hurt in an accident, they might require extreme medical treatment, including but not limited to amputations and reconstructive surgeries. This experience can leave someone unable to work and return to a normal life where they could provide for themselves.

Our Gilbert construction accident lawyers understand that you have the option to go through your employer to get workers’ compensation, but with severe injuries it’s almost never enough to actually compensate you for all of the ways that you’ve been impacted by this accident. On top of your workers’ compensation claim you are also entitled to seek compensation through a third-party lawsuit. In most instances, with a third-party lawsuit, you can seek more compensation in a variety of ways. The compensation for a third-party construction accident claim can include your medical bills, lost earnings, and non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are the ways that your life has been impacted since being in this accident and getting hurt. If you suffer a loss of life quality after your accident, that is a non-economic damage. These damages also include things like anxiety, pain, disability, or loss of enjoyment in daily activities.

Are Employers Liable?

At every construction site there are safety rules and regulations in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration also known as OSHA. This is a government organization that acts to help make sure that workers are safe. OSHA maintains these regulations in hopes that construction sites follow these rules to protect their workers and themselves. These are enforced by local and state laws. Each and every construction site should adhere to OSHA regulations when it comes to keeping their employees safe from harm and serious injury. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

It is not up to the employee to make sure that the worksite is safe — it is up to the employer. The employer should not put the job of keeping everyone safe onto their employees, who are the ones at risk of getting hurt. Employers have a duty to keep all employees safe from a serious injury. If someone is harmed on their construction site, then the employer would be responsible for the cost of medical bills and some lost earnings through workers’ compensation. Laws in Arizona tend to protect employers from having a lawsuit brought against them. However, if there is a third party involved in the incident, then a claim can be brought against them for further compensation damages.

If you have any questions about your compensation for your damages, please get in contact with our Gilbert construction accident lawyers as soon as possible to set up a free consultation and go over the details of your case to learn what you are entitled to.

What If I Lost a Loved One in a Construction Accident?

The law in Arizona will let the family members of someone who was killed in a construction accident seek compensation for losses. If you have lost someone that you love because of another person’s carelessness or negligence, whether you are the parent, the spouse, or the child of this person you lost, you are entitled to a wrongful death claim. Generally speaking, this is going to provide more relief for you and your family than a workers’ compensation card. We know that money is never going to replace the love that you felt from your family member, but it is also used as a way to punish those who are liable for the loss of the person that you love.

If you lost someone that you love in a construction accident, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of your lost loved one against the owner of the construction site, if they are found liable for the incident. The compensation would cover the following:

• Medical bills the loved one incurred before their death
• Funeral and burial costs
• Wages that the loved one would have brought in during their lifetime
• Pain and suffering of the surviving family

How Do Construction Accidents Happen?

As you are very well likely know, on a construction site there is a lot of dangerous equipment and heavy machinery that can cause injuries and hazards if improperly used or have something defective. Even when people think they are using equipment and machinery perfectly well, one can still get seriously hurt. Accidents at construction sites all over the country can involve people falling from heights or objects falling and crushing people. There could also be auto accidents, slip and falls, electrocutions, issues with scaffolding, defective products, and so on. There is a myriad of ways you can get hurt on a construction site because it can be a very dangerous setting to be in. We have seen all of them, and our Gilbert construction accident lawyers know how to handle each type of case to get successful and fair outcomes for those who have been seriously harmed. If you’ve been hurt and there was negligence involved, you are likely eligible for compensation in the fullest.

Because of the nature of construction, people are often at extreme heights. The risk of falling is high and falls can end up with people dying or dealing with life-threatening injuries. People fall from ladders and scaffolding, which often leads to permanent injury or very serious temporary injuries.

Among the hazards of a construction site, there are materials that may catch fire or explode easily. When people are working with gas lines, there can be explosions that happen in an instant and can lead to life altering injuries and death. If flammable items are not stored safely, then the owner of the construction site could be held legally responsible for any injuries and damages suffered during an explosion. Not only is the fire and explosion dangerous, but the debris that explodes in the vicinity can cause serious injuries to workers who aren’t even close to the explosion.

Electrocutions can happen at any given construction site due to the nature of the job. Almost every construction site involves working with electrical systems and wiring. If something goes wrong, people could die or suffer serious burns. Burns are terrible injuries that can lead to scarring and psychological trauma.

Lastly, just as in any workplace, someone can trip over an object and get seriously hurt; Especially at a construction site where there is all sorts of raw material, exposed wires, and machinery on site. Slip and falls can sometimes be minor, but could also lead to serious injuries such as a traumatic brain injury and broken bones which can put you out of work for quite some time.

Our Gilbert construction accident lawyers want to hear from you if you have suffered a serious injury on a construction site.

Our Attorneys Also Focus On The Following Practice Areas:

• Burn Injury
• Car Accident
• Dog Bite
• Motorcycle Accident
• Nursing Home Abuse
• Slip and Fall
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Truck Accident
• Workers’ Compensation
• Wrongful Death

Frequently Asked Questions for Our Construction Accident Attorneys in Gilbert, AZ

Can I Sue My Employer?

If you’re injured in a construction site accident in Arizona, very common question, comes up all the time is whether you can sue your employer. They didn’t maintain the equipment even though I warned them, you might say. We knew the tires were in bad shape. I tell them. They didn’t replace them. It’s one of the most common questions that potential clients ask all the time.

We had a recent question like that posed to one of our attorneys. It was a situation where the employer knew that there was a saw that had a defective cover on it. The employee was told to go ahead and use it anyway and lost a finger as a result. Were they upset and angry at their employer? Of course. As the attorney advised them, even in a pretty extreme situation like that, normally, we can’t sue employer. There are some exceptions. You call us with your situation. We can tell you if the exception applies. One of our attorneys will tell you that. The usual answer is no. The law protects employers because they want to make sure that employers keep hiring people. That’s why the workers’ comp situation or system has been set up. You don’t have to prove it was someone’s fault but you still get some compensation. You don’t get pain and suffering under workers’ comp and things like that, but there are alternative ways that if someone else was responsible. Now, in that particular situation, there was a defect in that saw. If we could prove that the defect is what caused the injury, then the perspective client could, as the attorney explained, recover pain and suffering, even if their boss might have also been at fault.

Those are complex situations. You really need to call us, have one of our attorneys look at your exact situation, and advise you. Is it possible? Yes, but the general situation, is it possible to recover even if your employer is at fault? Sometimes the answer is yes, but as far as suing your employer, even if one of your fellow employees was at fault, in most cases, you can’t sue. Always call us because there are limited exceptions and one of our attorneys would always be able to advise you about that.

Remember, if you’re hurt on a construction site and whether your boss probably is at least partially responsible or not, call us. The call is free. The information is free. It can make the difference in thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of dollars, and in rare cases, millions of dollars if you call us. Make that call because the most important person in our firm is you.

How Do I Determine the Value of My Construction Accident Claim?

The question often comes up after someone has been injured in a construction site accident. We had someone who was injured in a construction site accident contact us just recently and ask that question to one of our attorneys. Here’s what our attorney said. He explained that construction site accidents and injuries are valued differently than car wreck claims. Besides, we first of all start off with the nature and extent of your own injuries and your medical bills; beyond that, we look at things that can increase the value of your claim, even though it doesn’t have anything directly to do with your injuries.

For instance, were there OSHA violations that were known and was the subcontractor aware of it or the general contractor? This starts getting into situations that are more complex legally, and as our attorney would advise this person, that’s a reason for us to get reports if there is an OSHA report and analyze these things because sometimes the general contractor can be held responsible and sometimes they escape that. All those things are reasons to call us so we can start analyzing that.

The other differences in values are that, again, if there has been some, we’ll call it a bad actor or they were doing something, they were breaking some rules they shouldn’t, that can increase the value of your claim. That’s part of our investigation. Those things make it so your claim can be worth more money than, let’s just say, if you were in a fender bender down the street. That’s a reason to call us. Construction site accidents can be some of the biggest recoveries or they can be some of the most complicated. Call us. The call is free. The information is free. If you’ve been injured in a construction site accident, we’re very clear on one thing— the most important person is you.

How Do I Select the Best Construction Accident Attorney?

If you’ve been injured on a construction site accident, how do you choose a good attorney, a good law firm to represent you? That is a very important question, especially in Arizona. That question was posed to one of our attorneys recently by a potential client. Our attorney explained to the client that construction site accidents are very different than car accidents. There are some important differences.

One of them is, as the attorney explained, who was at fault for causing the injury? Now, of course, if it’s just on the job injury, we have a workers’ comp attorney who can advise you on that. It doesn’t matter whose fault the accident was in that situation. We can still work with you and get compensation, and also if you have permanent impairment and disability, we’ll be happy to analyze your situation and tell you if we can get you more money or if they have stopped your benefits, things like that. That’s a topic for another day.

Beside the work comp benefits, you also need to determine if someone else that’s at fault for causing the accident. If another one of your work buddies drove a forklift over your foot, then we’re going to be looking at a workers’ comp claim, as the attorney explained. However, if it’s a situation where the person who ran over your foot with the forklift works for another contractor at the construction site, then you very well may have a claim against that other person and their employer.

Those kinds of situations get more complicated. You really do need legal assistance in those situations. Any time you’re injured in a construction site accident, give us a call. One of our attorneys would be happy to analyze your situation. It’s pretty common to have both a workers’ comp injury and a claim against another employee. You can have both at the same time. That’s why it’s good to call a firm like ours because we can handle both of those claims at the same time and get you maximum benefits for both.

If you’re injured in a construction site accident, give us a call. The call is free. The information is free. It can make a big difference in the outcome of your case, sometimes thousands of dollars, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, and sometimes even millions. Call us because we really do care about our clients, especially you.

How Long Is It Going to Take to Resolve My Construction Accident Injury Claim?

The question often comes up after someone’s been injured in a construction accident, and often seriously. How long is it going to take to get my settlement? After such an accident, chances are you are not working, have medical bills piling up, and are stressed. That’s a very important question. Because we also handle workers’ compensation claims, this comes up a lot.

The other day someone called and spoke to our attorney, Daniel Garza, about that. Daniel explained that they can have a workers’ comp claim and a separate claim against another subcontractor who may be at fault and each of them can be resolved at different times. It’s not a simple process. If you call in, one of our attorneys will analyze your situation and tell you. We can often get the workers’ comp benefits going faster than resolving a separate claim against another contractor but sometimes it can be the reverse. There’s not one simple answer to that question. However, the workers’ compensation side will usually be able to get you some money to at least get by until we can resolve the other claim.

That’s why it’s very important to coordinate those two and work with a firm that does both. It’s very common for personal injury law firms to not be able to handle workers’ comp claims. That’s one of the first questions that you should ask when you call an injury firm – whether or not they handle workers comp claims. Rather than just hearing the answer, yes, you need to ask them a little bit more. For example, ask how many claims have you opened, workers’ comp claims, in the last month? If they hesitate or say it’s just two or three, that’s probably not the firm for you because you really need to coordinate those separate claims so you get the best benefit.

Remember, if you’re injured in a construction site accident, your call to us is free. The information is free. It can be worth thousands of dollars to you, tens of thousands, and in rare cases, millions. Call us. We’ll coordinate your claims because the most important person is our client and we hope that will be you.

Should I Notify Management If I Was Injured on a Construction Accident?

If you’re in a construction site accident in Arizona particularly, should you notify my supervisor or my boss? What’s the best thing to do in that situation? Obviously, we’re not talking about a situation where the crane fell on you and cut off your leg. We’re talking about more commonly a situation where maybe it was something as simple as bending over and hurting yourself when you were picking up something or maybe a little more serious involving someone else where they knocked over a piece of equipment, knocked you back, but you dusted yourself off. You’re in one piece. In situations like that, it’s common, especially for men, to feel like, hey, I’m macho. I’m not going to go squealing to my supervisor that I might have hurt my back.

Even if you didn’t report it at the time, call us because one of our attorneys will analyze that situation and let you know if we recommend that you do file a report. In most cases, we will. That’s to protect yourself for a workers’ comp claim. If it’s a claim against another subcontractor or something like that, it’s important that you make a record of it because if you stay home for the weekend and then you feel like crap on Monday and then you get medical care. Even worse, you wait a week, or two weeks, or four weeks, the value of your claim is going to go down if it’s a personal injury claim. Your workers’ comp claim can definitely be affected as well.

Call us first. Let one of our attorneys analyze your situation. We can advise you about notifying whoever needs to be notified. In certain cases, we can file the notice for you. We’re going to do what’s going to protect your rights. Remember, if you’re in a construction site accident and you have any question about whether, and even if you notified your supervisor, that’s no guarantee that they notified anyone above them. Call us anyway and we can check on that for you and you don’t have to worry about what’s my boss going to think or whatever. We’ll take care of that for you. We’ll always discuss it with you first. We won’t do anything without your permission. Our goal is to protect your rights and maximize the recovery that you get because the most important person is always you.

Should I Speak to the Insurance Company After a Construction Accident?

This question often comes up in a construction site accident when another subcontractor is really the one who caused the injury. That question came up the other day with one of our attorneys. Of course, the attorney is going to be able to analyze your exact situation, but in that case, the attorney advised the client, no. What you want to do is let our firm handle all communication with the adjustor or whoever for the insurance company for the sub. Doing that, we can keep you from saying something that inadvertently is going to reduce the value of your claim or totally destroy it. You don’t know the little training and tricks that the insurance company adjustors have learned. They have lots of practice, a lot more than you do.

That’s why we help you out because we know what those tricks are because they try them all the time. We don’t allow our clients to give recorded statements. Everything like that has to be a written statement that we can review first. That’s another way that we keep you from hurting your own case. Remember, if you are injured in a construction site accident due to a reckless or wrong behavior of another subcontractor, call us right away. Let one of our attorneys analyze your case and tell you what’s the best way that we see to get it resolved. Remember, the most important person in our firm is always you.

What Are Common Mistakes People Make If They Have Been Injured on a Construction Site?

What are the most common mistakes that injured people make when they’re in a construction site accident? That’s a common question and a very important question. If you’re involved in a construction site accident, please, call us early and we’ll be happy to address that question relating to your specific case. One of our attorneys will do that. In fact, we got a call like that not too long ago. What our attorney told the person is, look, here’s the most common mistakes.

First of all, especially men, they think, hey, I’ll just tough it out, be macho, whatever. It’s a huge mistake because if you don’t get better like you’re hoping the next day or the next week or whatever and then you tell your work or report the injury and stuff, that’s going to reduce potentially the value of your claim. Also, if you don’t get medical assistance right away, that’s another huge mistake. People say, oh, I’ll just go home. I’ll sleep it off. I’ll take a day off. The weekend’s coming up. I’ll feel better on Monday. Then you don’t.

At least call us and we’ll advise you if you need to report the injury. Normally, the answer is yes. If you’re afraid about getting fired and stuff, that’s another reason to call us. We’ll help you through that process. Then if it looks like there might have been a fellow subcontractor who was at fault, we’ll start an investigation and see if we can capture evidence or witnesses and things like that. If the general contractor might have been at fault, that’s another different situation. All those things are reasons to call us. Don’t just stay at home with your leg up watching TV and just think it’s going to work out. At least call us and find out what you can do now to protect yourself physically and financially.

Remember, if you’re injured in a construction site accident, the call is free. The information is free. It can make the difference between thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of dollars, and in rare cases, millions of dollars if you call us first. We’re here because the most important person is you.

What Should I Do If I Was Injured in a Construction Accident?

When people are seriously injured in a construction site accident in Arizona, what do they need to do to protect their rights and to maximize their recovery? That very question was posed to one of our attorneys recently. This is what our attorney responded. The first thing that we want to focus on is your medical care, your medical treatment, and especially if you’ve been hospitalized, the follow-up care. You’ll often get referrals to doctors who are not part of your health insurance or that don’t want to see you because it was on the job injury or things like that. That’s a reason to call us and we’ll give you referrals to doctors who will treat people who are injured in construction site accidents and who are specialists in the legal medical field. It’s different than just a regular situation.

We’ll give those referrals to you for free, even if you haven’t decided that you want to hire our law firm yet. We want you to get the best care possible. You get the best care possible, you recover faster physically, you recover more financially. It benefits you, and if we represent you, it benefits us, too. We want to work together with you. Those are some of the things that you need to be aware of if you are seriously injured in a construction site accident in Arizona. Remember, the call is free. The information is free. For heaven’s sakes, give us a call because you’ll discover that the way we treat our clients, the most important person is you.

Call Our Gilbert Construction Accident Lawyers Today

If you have been seriously hurt in a construction accident and it is due to the negligence of a liable party, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us as soon as possible. We want to support you in your pursuit of justice and fight tirelessly by your side to ensure that your results are full and fair. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Gilbert personal injury lawyers to get free injury advice. We would be more than happy to set up your first free consultation. Call us today to get started.