The Team to Call After Being Injured During Construction

Construction sites are some of the most dangerous workplaces in the nation. Every day, construction workers suffer injuries that cause them to lose out on work as they heal. If you or a loved one has been injured at a job site, you deserve compensation for your injuries. Please contact the Boulder personal injury lawyers at Tenge Law Firm, LLC, to schedule a free consultation.

Common Accidents at Construction Sites

Devastating accidents happen in a variety of ways at Colorado construction sites. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the leading causes of construction worker deaths are:

  • Falls. Whether the fall occurred at the same height or the fall was to a lower level, these injuries accounts for more than one-third of all fatal accidents at a construction site.
  • Struck by an object. Without proper protection, such scaffolding, guard rails, and aerial lifts, heavy pieces of equipment, like dump trucks and crane booms, can strike a construction worker.
  • Electrocutions. Workers can be electrocuted when their machinery accidentally contacts a live wire.
  • Crushing or other blunt trauma. This category includes workers who are caught and compressed by equipment, as well as those crushed by a collapsing structure or falling material.

These are just some of the most common ways construction workers are killed on the jobs. Thousands of other workers are injured each day in accidents similar to these, and they need compensation to help them recover from their injuries.

Help for Injured Construction Workers

As an injured worker, your legal remedies will depend on who is responsible for the accident that injured you—your employer or another party. For example, if your employer is to blame for the accident, then you will not be able to sue because of the workers’ compensation laws.

Workers’ compensation is a “no-fault” system that pays for reasonable medical care and a portion of lost wages because of disability. Because the system is no-fault, you do not need to prove that your employer caused the accident through a safety lapse or other negligent behavior. Instead, you automatically qualify for medical benefits and some lost wages so long as you were injured on the job.

One tradeoff of the workers’ compensation system is that injured workers cannot sue their employers—regardless of how responsible they are for your injuries. Instead, you must get by with the skimpy benefits paid out by the workers’ compensation insurer.

However, injured workers can bring claims against third parties who are responsible for the accident. For example, you might sue:

  • The manufacturer or seller of construction equipment that is defective. If a defect makes the equipment unreasonably dangerous, then you can sue if it harmed you.
  • A vendor who injured you at the job site.
  • A member of the public who caused your injury.
  • The owner of the construction site, if they are not also your employer.

In a third-party claim, you can receive full compensation for your losses, in addition to whatever workers’ compensation benefits you receive. This means receiving all lost wages as well as compensation for pain and suffering and other intangible harms.

Injured Bystanders and Pedestrians

If you are not employed in construction, then you have more options for bringing a lawsuit against the party responsible for the accident. Many innocent bystanders are injured when walking past or visiting construction sites. As a result, they can sue the party responsible for:

  • Medical bills to treat their injuries
  • Lost wages as a result of their injuries
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Disfigurement
  • Physical impairment

Some of these damages are harder to calculate than others. Fortunately, you can meet with our experienced construction site accident lawyer in Boulder who can review the facts of your case. Generally, the more severe your injury, the more compensation you are entitled to. For example, devastating traumatic brain injuries or paralysis is worth more than soft-tissue injuries or broken bones.

Wrongful Death

When a loved one is killed in a construction accident, surviving family members can bring a lawsuit against a third party responsible for the death. According to Colorado law, the surviving spouse has the exclusive right to file this lawsuit in the first year after death. Other family members, like children, have a right if there is no spouse or the spouse declines.

In a successful wrongful death lawsuit, you can receive compensation for:

  • Wages and benefits the deceased would have earned had he or she lived
  • The loss of love, care, comfort, and companionship you no longer receive from the deceased

The personal representative for the estate can also sue to receive funeral and burial expenses, as well as money for medical care used to treat your loved one’s final illness.

How a Boulder Construction Accident Lawyer Can Help

Construction site accidents raise many problems for injured victims, and require an experienced attorney. For example, injured workers might not know if they can bring a lawsuit against a third party such as a vendor or an equipment manufacturer. Instead of trying to investigate the case yourself, you should leave this task to your attorney while you rest and heal.

Injured bystanders also do not know whom to blame, given the many different subcontractors working on any construction site. Our clients report feeling a sense of relief after hiring us, knowing that their case is in experienced hands.

As part of our representation, we might:

  • Visit the construction site and review any hazards
  • Consult with experts who can study equipment to determine if it is defective
  • Interview witnesses who saw the accident
  • Confer with medical professionals who can help us understand the severity of your injuries

Building a claim the right way takes time and experience, so hire our knowledgeable construction site accident lawyer to protect your rights.

Speak With a Boulder Construction Site Accident Lawyer Today

At the Tenge Law Firm, LLC, construction accidents are some of the most devastating that we deal with. Injured victims need compensation to cover their medical bills, and their families need lost wages so that they can continue to pay their bills.

Help is here. To schedule your free consultation with one of our Boulder personal injury attorneys, please call (303) 665-2929 or submit our contact form.