Construction Accidents

CENTRAL FLORIDA CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT LAWYER

Construction workers are generally covered by workers’ compensation, which means they can apply for workers’ comp benefits when they are injured on the job. Employers and their insurance carriers, however, may try to claim that the employee did not suffer a work injury related to employment or that the employee failed to meet the strict notice timelines and procedures in the law. Even if benefits are paid, they amount to only payment for “reasonable and necessary” medical bills and two-thirds of the worker’s wages. A disabled worker is not reimbursed for the full amount of lost wages or given any compensation whatsoever for pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, or other damages applicable in a civil lawsuit.

In general, the availability of workers’ compensation benefits means that workers cannot sue their employers after a construction accident, even if the employer was negligent in causing the injury. However, there are some limited instances where a worker can sue the employer. These instances include when the employer did not have required workers’ compensation insurance and when the injury was caused by an intentional act of the employer, such as forcing employees to work in knowing violation of safety rules.

OTHER PARTIES MAY BE LIABLE FOR A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT

Besides the benefit of workers’ compensation, there are many times when a third-party (not the employer or employee) is responsible for causing a construction accident. In those instances, the injured worker may be able to sue the third-party for negligence that caused the accident and recover the full amount of legal damages, including all medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering and more. Common examples of third-party liability for construction accidents include:

Car Accidents – Construction workers may be injured in a crash while on the clock picking up supplies, or they may be struck by a delivery truck driving materials onto the site. The injured worker has a car accident claim against the negligent or distracted driver.

Premises Liability – Construction work is being performed on another’s property, and that property contains a hazard the owner knew about but failed to fix or warn the workers of. A construction worker injured in a slip and fall or other accident likely has a premises liability claim against the property owner.

Design Professional Liability – Negligence on the part of an architect, engineer or other contractor that causes injury may give rise to a third-party liability claim.

Defective Products – A worker who is injured by a malfunctioning tool, vehicle, or other piece of machinery or equipment may have a products liability claim if the product was defectively designed or defectively manufactured when it left the manufacturer’s control and was not substantially altered in the interim.

Jeanne Reynaud represents construction workers in Orlando and greater Orlando who are injured on the job in any number of construction accidents, including:

• Ladder Falls

• Scaffold Collapses

• Hit by Falling Objects

• Electrocution

• Forklift and Crane Accidents

• Trenching and Excavation Accidents

• Caught-in/between Accidents

Help is Available after Construction Accidents in Central Florida

If you have injuries from a construction accident, contact attorney Jeanne Reynaud at 833-306-9227 for a free consultation with an experienced and successful construction accident lawyer.