Construction sites can still be dangerous places to work even when everyone wears appropriate protective gear and follows OSHA regulations. That doesn’t mean there’s any excuse to skimp on safety while on site. When another worker’s negligence, a machine malfunction, or anything else leads to a preventable accident during construction work, they—and potentially other people they work for or with—may be legally liable to pay for injuries and losses caused by that accident.
Knowing someone is to blame for a construction injury and holding them accountable for it through a civil lawsuit or settlement demand are two different things, as any seasoned personal injury attorney knows well. When you want a fair shot at getting compensation after getting hurt during construction work, you should make speaking with and hiring a skilled York construction accident lawyer one of your top priorities.
After aggressive and ongoing litigation, Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers settled a construction site injury claim for $1.2 million. We helped a client who suffered significant burn injuries from an electrical shock that occurred due to safety practices being ignored by another company working on the site.
Who Might Be Liable for a Construction Injury?
While many construction workers have access to workers’ compensation coverage, that type of coverage is designed to cover short-term medical bills and some lost wages while you recover from a work-related injury. When you want to get paid for every form of harm you have to deal with because of a construction accident, you need to explore—and then make effective use of—your options for filing a third-party lawsuit.
When your employer provides you with workers’ comp coverage, you can’t sue them directly for negligence leading up to a work-related accident. You can sue multiple other people who contributed to causing this sort of accident through reckless or careless conduct, such as a contract worker who didn’t follow site rules or another company who put unqualified workers in dangerous positions.
You may also or alternatively be able to hold a third-party manufacturer or supplier liable for providing defective equipment when a specific defect directly led to a construction-related injury. Figuring out exactly who’s to blame for a specific incident and taking proactive legal action against them is something a skilled construction accident attorney in York can assist with.
Getting Paid Fairly Inside Filing Time Limits
Unlike workers’ comp, a third-party lawsuit or settlement proposal over a construction accident can demand money for every form of harm the accident has already caused and is expected to cause. This can include but isn’t strictly limited to:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Emotional and psychological anguish
- Medical bills not covered by workers’ comp, including long-term costs of things like physical therapy and wheelchairs
- Personal property damage, plus disability-related expenses for things like home and vehicle modifications
- The full value of lost work wages or future working ability
Pennsylvania law typically gives you two years after getting hurt through someone else’s negligence to file suit against them, so it’s important to get in touch with a lawyer sooner rather than later after suffering a construction injury in York.
Contact a York Construction Accident Attorney for Help
Accidents during construction work have the potential to cause life-altering injuries to multiple people at once. Anyone who causes this sort of harm through their own irresponsible actions should be held accountable for the consequences those actions have—and help from seasoned legal counsel will be vital to making sure that happens in your unique situation.
Guidance from a York construction accident lawyer will minimize the risk of any procedural roadblocks keeping you from getting paid what you deserve. Call today to learn more.
