If you work in the construction industry, you just might be an injury waiting to happen. Even with elaborate safety precautions in place, the construction industry is still considered a high risk industry by most experts. The construction worker who has never been injured is the exception and not the rule. The message here is quite simple. If you work in this high risk industry, go over your insurance package with a competent insurance expert. Better still, talk to a construction accident attorney now. There is no point in waiting for an injury to happen before you begin to around looking for the right construction accident attorneys CA. You need to know your options in advance so that when the unexpected happens, you will not be caught napping. Your best option is to speak with a California construction injury lawyer.
Common Construction Accident Injuries
Some of the most common construction injuries are caused by heavy machinery. Cranes, bull dozers, graders and forklifts are used in the construction industry and these are very dangerous for construction workers. Workers who have accidents with these machines can claim damages if the machines were defective. There are also strong grounds to claim compensation if the injury was a result of negligence on the part of the construction company.
Apart from injuries from malfunctioning heavy machinery, construction workers may get injured in other ways. Others causes of injury include construction falls. This is quite common and it usually happens when the construction company fails to use basic fall protection devices. Workers can also get seriously injured in trench accidents. In most cases, this happens when a trench collapses. It is also possible to get injured from scaffolding accidents, slips and falls and many other dangerous circumstances related to a construction job site.
Construction Accident Law California
Now, you need to know this. Under California law, employees cannot legally sue the employer for injuries and damages sustained at the place of work. From the point of view of the injured worker, this law is terrible. The good news is that the injured worker has an option. It is perfectly legal for the injured worker to institute a third party civil lawsuit against parties other than the employer. In simple English, this means that if a worker was injured in the process of operating a forklift, he cannot sue his employer but he can sue the manufacturers of the forklift. This is where construction accident attorneys CA come into the picture. You need to hire the right attorney so that you can successfully prosecute the third party and get compensation. Before you do anything, contact a construction accident lawyer.
If you have the right attorney in your corner, you can claim substantial damages but this will depend on the type of injury you suffered. If the injuries were serious but you are now fully recovered, you can claim medical expenses and you will be paid. If you are no longer able to work as a result of the injury, you can claim a lump sum of money for lost earnings. In cases of serious disability, the claim will be much higher. If you have lost a limb for instance, no amount of money will bring back the lost limb. The thing is that the right compensation might make life more bearable for you.
Speak with a California Construction Injury Attorney
Finally, in cases where the worker died from the injury, his or her survivors can go to court and seek huge damages. Construction accident injuries in California are complicated and have many layers that need to be investigated before making a final decision on how best to proceed. The best way to improve your chances of success is to have the right attorney in your corner.