If a construction accident is caused by negligence, an injured construction worker may be able to sue the responsible parties for full legal damages — over and above any workers’ compensation benefits. These ” third-party lawsuits ” are allowed if the owners, their agents or other contractors were negligent in maintaining job site safety or were in violation of applicable regulations.

Our firm has extensive experience representing clients who have been injured in construction site accidents. This includes representing people injured in large multi-story building projects, those injured in single-family home construction, and illegal and undocumented aliens injured in construction accidents throughout the New York City area. Our attorneys will process your workers’ compensation claim quickly to get medical bills paid and to recover a portion of your lost wages. We will also move to investigate quickly so that critical evidence can be documented and witnesses can be interviewed.

Construction Accident Causes and Employee Rights

Because it is their job to operate dangerous equipment, lift large or heavy objects, and work high off the ground, construction workers are at increased risk for falling accidents and on-the-job injuries. When proper safety precautions and practices are used, many injuries can be prevented. But preventing ” many ” injuries is not the same thing as preventing ” all. ” Common construction accident scenarios include:

• Scaffolding accidents
• Ladder accidents
• Workers hit by falling object
• Equipment malfunctions
• Workplace safety violations
• OSHA violations

Unlike workers’ compensation, these lawsuits can include recovery for full wages and benefits, medical expenses, as well as pain and suffering. You may recover regular workers’ compensation benefits and also make a claim for damages in the third-party lawsuit. The damages recovered may be very substantial. Of course, you will have to repay a portion of the workers’ compensation benefits; but even so, you can collect for many items not covered by workers’ comp.

SCAFFOLD AND LADDER ACCIDENTS

Construction workers know they work in the most dangerous work environment in the world. Every year, more than one in 10 construction workers will lose work time due to an injury on the job site or in a construction vehicle. Of all the types of injuries that can happen, none is more prevalent than falling accidents resulting from unsafe or improperly installed scaffolding.

If you were injured in a ladder or scaffolding accident while working on a construction site in the New York City metro region, you may be entitled to recover more than workers’ compensation benefits.  You may have a valid claim to recover money from the negligent third party responsible for the accident, including the property owner, the scaffolding subcontractor and other contractors working on the job site.

A serious fall from a ladder or scaffolding injury can put you out of work for a lifetime. Don’t assume the accident was your own fault. There are often unseen forces such as improper site improvements or unsafe roofing or walls that cause the scaffold or ladder to collapse. Talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer at our firm. We offer a free consultation to evaluate your case and discuss your legal options for recovering compensation in a third-party liability lawsuit.