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When You Need a Brooklyn Construction Accident Attorney
Regardless of the safety tips you follow, construction accidents do happen. Almost daily, worksite employees experience catastrophic injuries. So, from a head injury to a spinal cord injury, you may need a lot of medical care to return to your previous life. Also, this may cause you high medical bills, but you might get compensation through a Brooklyn construction accident lawyer.
Construction accidents can bring a lot of financial and medical problems. Moreover, they also impact the employee’s working capacity. Because, during your work injury, you may need to change your career or lose your job. Also, this causes a massive decrease in income. At Brooklyn Injury Attorneys, P.C. we understand the dangers surrounding construction sites. If you have been injured due to a job site injury, our Brooklyn construction accident lawyer is ready to represent you and get you through this trying time.
What are Construction Accidents?
Construction accidents are unfortunate incidents that result in damage or injuries to workers. Also, these accidents can range from personal injury to property damage. So you should know these accidents’ causes, risks, and facts. Also, you must know what to do if a serious accident occurs. You should contact a Brooklyn construction accident lawyer.
Let’s explore some common types of worksite accidents and how to prevent them from occurring!
Common Types of Construction Accidents
Many hazards and risks are related to working on construction sites. Workers are always at stake from injury, and sometimes, workers can die. Employers must understand the risks and do their best to reduce them as much as possible.
A few accidents occur because of the nature of the work. Here are some basic types of construction accidents:
1. Demolition Accidents
These accidents happen frequently on sites. Sometimes, they involve explosives that can create huge risks for workers. Although demolition accidents often cannot be avoided, workers must have proper training and safety devices to reduce the risk of injuries. Depending on the circumstances, demolition injuries include fatalities, paralysis, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, lacerations, and burns.
2. Height-Related Accidents
These accidents include being struck by falling objects, falling from ladders or heights, and scaffolding collapses. They can also cause fatalities or traumatic injuries. Proper safety equipment can prevent such accidents. However, if the employer does not offer such protection, he/she is responsible for such accident-related injuries.
3. Slip & Falls / Trip & Falls
Slip & falls and trip & falls are common construction accidents. Poor lighting, broken or unsafe stairs, holes, defects, debris in flooring, and oil or grease on floors are key contributing factors to these falls. These accidents can lead to soft tissue injuries, sprained ankles, broken legs, lacerations, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, and even death in severe cases.
4. Forklift & Crane Accidents
Workers use forklifts and cranes frequently on construction sites. They need proper training to operate these pieces of machinery. Such machinery carries loads of weight, and workers should operate them cautiously. However, it doesn’t matter how much care the workers use. Device failures, machinery, and lack of training can lead to terrific forklift or crane accidents, fatalities, or extreme injuries.
5. Fires or Explosions
Some conditions on job sites cause fires or explosions. Gas and chemical leaks, wrong management of flammable products, electrical problems, and device malfunctions can cause such accidents. These accidents can lead to third-degree burns, lung issues, ailments associated with smoke inhalation, disfigurement, and death. Based on the circumstances and facts that cause these accidents, materials manufacturers, engineers, sub-contractors, or other parties may be responsible.
Tips to Prevent Construction Accidents
Employers should follow some preventative measures to avoid hazardous accidents on construction sites. Here are some tips to prevent these risky accidents:
1. Hold Regular Team Safety Meetings
Employers should hold frequent team meetings based on the number of risky jobs the workers are handling. These safety meetings must focus on hazards and risks to observe on a specific site.
2. Offer Safety Training
All workers must get proper training. The team should be knowledgeable and aware of their workspace’s hazards and safety standards. Workers must not use machinery that is not appropriate for use.
3. Keep the Construction Site Tidy Enough
Cleanliness in the construction site increases efficiency and safety. Moreover, it reduces the scope of injuries and prevents accidents like falls, trips, and slips. Keep the walkways clean and store the tools away after finishing tasks.
4. Use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
PPE is essential for keeping employees secure. Workers must wear proper safety equipment while working at construction sites. Some examples of PPE include:
- Hard hats
- Hi-Vis Clothing
- Safety boots
- Gloves
- Earplugs or defenders
- Safety glasses or goggles
- Skin cleansers
- Sunscreen
5. Identify the Risks and Make a Strategy
Employers must check the site and identify different risks before starting any work. This helps in risk analysis. You must create a list of preventive measures to avoid risks at construction sites. Ultimately, you should train your staff and team properly.
6. Prevent Falls
Falls lead to fatalities in the construction industry. Employers should install fall protection systems like nets, canopy structures, screens, toe boards, or guardrails to reduce fall accidents on-site. Only qualified staff should erect scaffolding properly. Ensure that the scaffolding is done every seven days.
7. Safeguard Your Team
Many hazardous conditions are controllable. However, some are not in your hands. However, as an employer, you must lower the environmental risks as much as possible. Also, workers should wear the PPE given to them to reduce risks.
8. Follow All Guidelines and Report Every Hazardous Condition
Never cut corners. It raises the risk of putting workers in danger. According to the law, employers must report every risky condition as early as possible when working on construction sites.
Common Damages That Get Compensations in Construction Accidents
Workers’ compensation generally allows workers to receive medical treatment and recover from work injuries without considering expenses. Injuries can lead to both financial and physical issues. Employers are liable to help you return to your feet. If you get a work injury, you are eligible to be reimbursed for the following costs:
1. Lost Wages
If you can return with limited ability or miss time at work because of your injury, you are eligible to get temporary disability payments. These payments depend on your earnings and equal two-thirds of your average weekly earnings. However, these are not over the maximum limit of the state.
If you can return to part-time work, you may be eligible for partial advantages to offset the income loss. These advantages can be granted for up to 104 weeks.
2. Medical Expenses
Workers’ compensation covers all medical expenses related to a work injury. This incorporates medical devices, medicines, surgery, medical transport, and doctor visits.
3. Disability
When your doctor discovers you to be medically unstable, they give you a disability rating. This rating decides the ultimate disability benefits.
4. Vocational Retraining
Employers must offer vocational retraining if you cannot return to work or get a job that pays you what you deserve. Vocational retraining may incorporate technical school, college courses, or certificate courses.
Why You Should Hire An Experienced Brooklyn Construction Accident Lawyer
A construction accident lawyer helps decide who is liable for the accident, communicates with insurance agencies, collects all the essential documentation, and helps injured workers recover to make them feel well. You should hire a construction site accident lawyer for several reasons:
1. They Can Investigate Difficult Cases
Some accidents at construction sites are pretty straightforward. You can easily understand who is liable and what reimbursement is due. However, sometimes, some complex accidents also occur, and they need intense legal knowledge, thorough investigation, and the capacity to advocate the case efficiently.
An experienced construction accident advocate is an expert and skilled. He can inspect your case to determine its cause, the liable person, and its impacts on you. He works closely with all healthcare providers to know the long-term and short-term effects of the accident. Moreover, he makes sure to gather all necessary documentation to prove the intensity of your injuries.
Furthermore, an attorney knows everything about the law, can negotiate a settlement, and file a lawsuit. Hence, he can handle the legal paperwork directly and deal with other lawyers and insurance firms. You can easily concentrate on healing as they will get you the workers’ compensation.
2. They Are Expert in Managing Construction Accidents
When you hire a law firm to deal with your case, you should find someone experienced enough. He must have experience in litigating and negotiating construction accident cases. He also provides expertise in national office space security, product responsibility, negligence, and personal injury laws that suit your claim.
Your lawyer’s knowledge helps him see your case from a strong angle and understand how to get your financial reimbursement. An experienced construction accident lawyer can handle complicated healthcare and insurance agencies because they don’t want to pay as much as you deserve. Also, he knows how to present your case, ask relevant questions, and get perfect results.
3. You Have More Scopes of a Better Recovery
Many types of damages are compensated in construction accident cases. You may receive less when you try to handle the at-fault party and insurance companies alone. However, if you hire an experienced construction accident lawyer, you can get compensation that covers your losses.
A qualified lawyer knows what to seek and how to negotiate to help you receive the maximum compensation efficiently. Also, these compensations incorporate funeral costs, disability, recovery costs, lost wages, and medical costs. Also, they can more efficiently prove an employer’s ruthless behavior or negligence that caused the accident.
4. They Know about Other Compensation Sources
It’s sometimes difficult to find out the at-fault party in construction accidents. While often the employer is liable, a third party’s ignorant behavior also leads to the accident in many circumstances. Moreover, the careless attitude of an engineer, a materials manufacturer, or a machinery manufacturer may also cause an accident.
Construction accident attorneys know the questions to ask and the ways to analyze the accident circumstances to decide the liable person. So, these cases can be more complicated to prove. However, an expert lawyer can investigate complex cases to help you get the compensation you deserve. Also, he will take more time investigating the site, parties engaged, and witness statements to decide liability.
Sometimes, the other party is a big entity with an experienced legal team. Also, a construction accident lawyer can work with a team of lawyers to ensure that they represent your interests.
In Conclusion
If you are a victim of an accident at a worksite, call a construction accident lawyer in no time because problems on job sites might cause compensation for your stress. Also, injuries may cost you more, incorporating medical bills and other difficulties.
Before taking any legal action or attempting to negotiate a settlement, you must speak to a Brooklyn construction accident lawyer regarding your case because they understand the difficulties of your work. Also, they will always recommend the best for you. Also, he will safeguard your rights and help you recover the compensation you need.