Fresno Construction
ACCIDENT Lawyers

Not necessarily, but in some cases, a lawsuit may help you obtain the maximum compensation available to you under California law.

As we explained above, your rights to compensation for injuries you sustained in a Fresno construction accident will often first depend on whether they happened in connection with your job as a construction worker. If so, then your first source of compensation will likely consist of workers’ compensation insurance benefits, which you can usually obtain without filing a lawsuit.

However, if you also have rights as a construction worker to seek compensation from a third-party, or if you suffered injuries not as a worker but instead as a visitor or bystander at a Fresno construction site, then pursuing compensation through a lawsuit in Fresno courts could represent your strongest option for securing the money you need and deserve.

In either case, the most reliable way to chart your course forward after getting hurt in a Fresno construction accident is to speak with a skilled construction accident injury lawyer right away.

Fresno lawyers use the word “damages” to refer to the payments a victim of a construction accident has the right to receive from a party at fault for causing the accident, or from someone who has a legal obligation to answer for the actions of the party at fault.

Typically, the way to obtain damages is to demand payment from the party who has a legal liability to you and, as is often necessary, to file a lawsuit against that party.

Every Fresno construction accident happens through a unique set of circumstances, and requires a careful analysis by an experienced attorney to determine who may owe damages for the injuries the accident inflicted.

Generally speaking, however, parties with legal liability for a Fresno construction accident could include:

• A contractor whose unreasonably dangerous decisions or actions on a Fresno job site contribute to the cause of a harmful accident;
• The owner of the property where a construction job takes place, if the owner fails to fix or warn workers about an unreasonably dangerous property condition that plays a role in the accident;
• The manufacturer of defective construction materials or equipment that fail to function as intended and put a worker in danger;
• An architect or engineer who supplies faulty designs, plans, or information about a construction project, leading to an accident.
• A government entity in charge of overseeing a public works construction project at which an accident occurs.

These are merely examples. As we said, every case differs. At The May Firm, we place special emphasis on exploring the details of every case we handle for victims of construction accidents, to ensure we identify every individual, business, organization, or institution who may owe damages to our client.

No. Your legal rights to compensation for your construction accident injuries do not depend on your physical presence on the construction site itself when the accident happened. If an accident on a Fresno construction site results in injuries to people off-site—for example, to passersby on a street or sidewalk, or people living or working in buildings on properties next door to the site—then those victims can still usually seek compensation through an insurance claim or lawsuit in a Fresno court.

Speak with an experienced Fresno construction accident injury lawyer today to learn more.

Some Fresno construction workers may struggle to obtain workers’ compensation benefits for their construction accident-related injuries. It shouldn’t happen, but it does.

Workers’ comp insurance companies, like most insurance companies, try to pay only what they must to covered individuals, and fight back aggressively against attempted fraud and other false claims. Some, however, go too far in that department by also denying valid claims for benefits from injured workers.

Under California law, workers who receive a partial or total claim denial have the right to appeal the insurance company’s decision. However, at The May Firm, we strongly advise workers not to try to handle an appeal on their own. Making just a small mistake in appealing a claim denial can result in a complete loss of a worker’s rights to receive benefits.

If you receive a letter from the workers’ comp carrier denying your claim for benefits arising out of a Fresno construction accident injury, then we encourage you to contact a skilled construction accident injury lawyer immediately to protect your rights.

This is one of the most common of all the questions we get from potential clients.

Our answer is that every Fresno construction accident case is unique, so there is no way for us to determine exactly how much your case is worth without delving into the details of what happened.

If your only source of compensation consists of workers’ compensation benefits, and you succeed in securing them, you can generally expect payment for your injury-related medical care and disability benefits totaling two-thirds of your income up to a maximum set by law.

If you may seek compensation through a lawsuit, the value of your case will typically hinge on three broad factors:

1. The severity and impact of your injuries. The law entitles you to receive damages that compensate you for both monetary and non-monetary costs of your injury. Those costs usually rise with the severity of an injury and with the impact of the injury on the victim’s day-to-day life.
2. The money available to pay you. The value of your case also depends on the party who owes you damages actually having the ability to pay them to you, usually through insurance or out of that party’s assets. The more money available, the greater the chance of you recovering the full amount of damages you deserve.
3. The strength of your case and skill of your lawyer. To obtain the damages you want, you must have evidence to support your claim and a lawyer who knows how to present it in a way that convinces the other side to open its checkbook.

The May Firm works closely with clients to calculate the amount of damages the law entitles them to receive, and then fights relentlessly to secure as much of those damages as possible.

It varies. Some cases last a few months, some take a year or more. And, remember, there’s never a guarantee that you will receive money, which is why you need a strong, experienced Fresno construction accident injury lawyer fighting on your behalf.

In the Fresno construction accident injury cases we handle at The May Firm, we and our clients have the same basic goal: to secure as much money as possible to pay for our clients’ injuries and losses, and to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To the extent we can, we try to move our clients’ cases along at a good clip.

However, many of the factors affecting the timeline for a Fresno construction accident injury case are beyond our or our clients’ ability to control.

• How long it takes for doctors to feel confident in predicting our client’s future medical needs, which is often essential information in calculating the damages our client deserves.
• How many parties, both victims and parties at-fault, a construction accident affected. Generally speaking, the more parties involved in a case, the longer its timeline.
• How much dispute exists among the parties over who-owes-who-how-much. Cases in which everyone agrees on liability and damages tend to go faster than cases where everyone disagrees over everything.

One aspect of your Fresno construction accident injury claim rests firmly within your control, however. The sooner you sit down for a free consultation with an experienced construction accident injury lawyer, the sooner the rest of the process can take its course.

If you suffered those injuries in connection with your job, then you may well have the right to receive permanent disability benefits from your workers’ compensation insurance. Disputes can sometimes arise, however, over whether an injury keeps you from working. A skilled construction accident lawyer can help you make the case for permanent disability benefits to the workers’ comp carrier, so that you get the money you deserve.

If you sustained injuries in a Fresno construction accident that was not connected to your job, then the damages you may seek in a lawsuit can include compensation for your future lost income. An experienced construction accident lawyer will often work with financial planning experts to calculate the value of that lost future income, so that you receive full compensation.

In either case, we encourage you to speak with a member of the team at The May Firm today if a Fresno construction accident injury left you permanently disabled and out-of-work. You deserve compensation and a skilled lawyer can help you get it.

Not yet. Speak with an experienced Fresno construction accident lawyer first before agreeing to any settlement from anyone’s insurance company. That offer may not come close to paying you the amount of money you deserve, and taking it could cost you valuable legal and financial rights.

Insurance companies know that construction accidents in Fresno can throw victims’ lives into turmoil and cause extreme financial strain. Insurers sometimes try to take advantage of that distress and upset by dangling what seems like easy money in front of victims, inviting them to settle their claims quickly and, seemingly, with no fuss.

The problem is that insurance companies often lowball these offers, hoping victims have not yet spoken to an attorney and do not know how much money they should really receive. They also condition payment on the victims signing a release of future claims.

Instead of taking the money, let an experienced Fresno construction accident lawyer negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Chances are a lawyer can secure you a lot more money than the insurance company offered you directly.

As soon as possible.

We understand why hiring a lawyer might not have risen to the top of your list of priorities in the aftermath of a Fresno construction accident. You have injuries that need your attention, and your income has likely taken a hit.

Still, talking to an experienced Fresno construction accident lawyer right away can do you a world of good, perhaps more than you imagined.

While you focus your energies on healing, an attorney can:

• Immediately begin investigating how the accident happened, collecting evidence before it goes missing, and talking to witnesses before their memories fade.
• Identify the parties who may owe you compensation and put them on notice of your potential claim.
• Begin preparing an insurance claim or lawsuit on your behalf.
• Communicate with you about the best course forward to secure you the maximum compensation available under California law.
• Answer the questions you have about your rights and options.
• Negotiate with insurance companies and defense lawyers on your behalf.
• Advise you when and whether to agree to a settlement offer.
• Fight for your rights and interests in Fresno courts.

Without fail, we have found over our years of law practice at The May Firm that the earlier we can get involved in a client’s case, the broader our client’s options and the higher the chances of a favorable outcome. An initial consultation with our firm is free, so you have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain by reaching out to us today.