Construction Accident Injuries
Florida Construction Injury Attorneys
Navigating Construction Injuries
Injury accidents at Florida construction sites are, unfortunately, all too common. Often, victims are left with severe, lifelong injuries. If you were injured on the job at a Florida construction site, or if a loved one was injured or killed in a construction site accident, you have legal rights.
Scott Marshall Injury Attorneys has experienced Florida construction accident attorneys and has helped many injured victims, and their families pursue justice.
OSHA Construction StandardsProtect Workers
In a move designed to protect workers across all industries in the United States, Congress passed the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA Act) in 1970. OSHA requires employers to address or mitigate risks from recognized hazards in the workplace, and to comply with OSHA standards designed to avoid serious injuries or death. Employees must also do their part by complying with OSHA standards and rules designed to keep them safe.
Employee rights under OSHA include:
- Reading safety materials and information provided by employers
- Participating in workplace safety training
- Requesting OSHA workplace inspections
- Filing confidential complaints with OSHA
- Being safe from workplace discrimination or retaliation for filing an OSHA complaint
In addition to the general requirement for employers to provide a safe workplace to employees, employer obligations under OSHA include:
- Recognizing potential safety risks and hazards in the workplace
- Taking action to correct or mitigate risks, when identified
- When hazards cannot be eliminated, providing workers with appropriate safety gear, training, and safety information
- Providing notice to workers about potential risks and dangers
What to Do After aConstruction Accident in Florida
When construction accidents occur, taking certain actions can be critically important — for your physical and emotional recovery, and for your efforts to pursue your legal rights.
- Seek Prompt Medical Treatment
Always seek prompt medical attention. Even if you think your injuries were only “surface” injuries, you should still consult a medical professional. Sometimes, internal injuries may not be obvious immediately. Left untreated, you could find yourself facing a much more difficult recovery. A doctor can examine you and run diagnostic tests to identify and treat all your injuries. Your medical appointment will also serve as important documentation to help bolster your legal claim for compensation — reflecting your diagnosis, treatment plan, and prescribed medications or follow-up care. - Create an Accident Report
After a construction site accident, you also need to report the accident to your employer. Let your supervisor know what happened and do your best to answer his or her questions about the circumstances. If an investigation is necessary, cooperate with investigators to the best of your ability. Employers are required to report all workplace accidents to OSHA, so reporting the incident to your manager is a critical step in helping the company meet its obligations. - Document the Incident
In addition to helping your employer document the accident, you should gather documentation about the incident for your records. Should you choose to pursue your legal right to compensation, your documentation will be invaluable in helping your construction site accident attorneys develop a robust case on your behalf. Helpful documentation includes documentation of your medical care related to the accident, the names of, contact information for, and statements provided by anyone who witnessed the accident, and photographic or video evidence, if available. - Pursue Your Rights Under Workers’ Compensation
People injured in the workplace in Florida, including construction workers injured on the job, have rights under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws. Filing a workers’ compensation claim is an important step in pursuing compensation for your lost wages and medical expenses related to your injury accident. An experienced Florida construction accident law firm can help you with this process.
Common Causes ofConstruction Site Accidents
Construction sites can be dangerous places, especially if risks are not appropriately addressed or mitigated. Workers often use heavy machinery and interact with potentially hazardous materials every day. While construction site injuries can occur for many reasons, the most common causes our Florida construction accident attorneys see include:
- Poorly trained workers
- Equipment not used correctly
- Falls, slips, and trips
- Workers struck by falling or flying objects
- Defective or improperly maintained equipment
- Collapse of building materials
- Accidents involving cranes or other heavy machinery
- Fires
- Explosions
- Improper use/failure of safety equipment
Most CommonConstruction Injuries
Construction injuries can range from minor to life-altering. In some cases, accidents at construction sites can result in workers’ deaths. Our construction injury lawyers help victims who have suffered a wide range of injuries. Common injuries include:
- Lacerations
- Bruises
- Burns
- Broken or crushed bones
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Injuries to the head, back and neck
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal bleeding and other injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Loss of digits, extremities, or limbs
Liability forConstruction Site Accidents in Florida
To prevail on a construction accident claim in Florida, your construction injury attorneys will need to establish that your employer, or another party, was liable for your injuries. Responsible parties may include your employer, equipment manufacturers, contractors, the owner of the construction site, and others. Your attorney will work to identify all parties that may have some liability and will seek to hold them accountable for their actions or negligence.
If the initial facts point to your employer’s liability, your attorney may seek to prove that your employer failed to meet obligations to address potentially hazardous conditions at the worksite — and that this failure was the proximate cause of your injury accident.
In situations where a third party such as the property owner, equipment manufacturers, vendors or contractors at the job site may have some liability, your lawyer will work to gather facts and evidence on your behalf. Your legal team will seek to demonstrate that the third party owed you a duty of care and breached that duty, or that the third party did something (or failed to do something) that was a contributing factor to the accident.
Why Hire a FloridaConstruction Accident Lawyer?
A construction accident can occur in a split-second, leaving victims with life-altering injuries. Seeking legal representation from experienced, compassionate construction accident lawyers can help protect your legal rights to compensation — while providing much-needed peace of mind as you focus on recovering from injuries.
If your employer was the sole party responsible for the circumstances that led to your injury accident, you will likely not be able to file a lawsuit to collect damages beyond what you are already entitled to receive under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws.
Workers’ compensation is already designed to pay for your medical treatment (including prescription medications transportation to/from appointments, visits with specialists, follow-up care) and a percentage of your lost wages. What’s more, workers’ compensation is a no-fault program. This means that you can recover workers’ compensation benefits even if you were personally responsible for the accident, as long as you were acting within the normal bounds of your job.
However, you may be able to pursue additional legal remedies through a personal injury claim, if a third party was responsible for your construction accident injuries. For example, if a piece of construction machinery or equipment malfunctioned, you may have a claim for damages against the manufacturer. Or, if you were injured because of the actions of a contractor or other party on the job site, you may be able to file a lawsuit against that person (and his or her employer, in some cases).
Don’t worry if you aren’t sure who was at fault; it’s not always obvious. Your attorney will work closely with you to evaluate the facts and circumstances of your accident and will be able to help you understand all available options for recovering compensation — so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
Discuss Your Construction Injury with anExperienced Attorney
If you were injured in a construction site accident, or if someone you love was injured or killed on a construction job, you have rights. With more than 25 years of experience protecting the rights of injured people, Scott Marshall Injury Attorneys understands the complexities of construction accident litigation.
See our client testimonials to learn more about our commitment to helping victims recover the compensation they deserve.
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