Construction is a crucial industry in an ever-growing city like Austin, Texas. While it is immensely important work, there are also many dangerous conditions to be aware of. This is because construction sites often involve heavy machinery, elevated work areas, moving vehicles, electrical hazards and more. So, what options do workers have when they suffer an injury due to safety failures or negligence?
After an accident, it is important to look beyond the immediate circumstances of the injury itself. Depending on who caused it, an injured worker may have a claim to pursue in addition to any workers’ compensation benefits that may be available. Djiba Law is a firm dedicated to meticulously analyzing situations just like these to ensure clients receive complete restitution for their losses – no questions asked.
Construction accidents transpire for many reasons, including unsafe working conditions, inadequate safety measures, defective equipment, falls from heights, electrical hazards, and vehicle collisions. A worker may also be injured by equipment or conditions that were created by another contractor or company on the job site.
Accidents like these can result in serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, fractures, burns, and amputations. Whatever the situation, extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation can permanently affect a person’s ability to work or live independently. That’s why pursuing comprehensive compensation that reflects the reality of the injury is so important.
Oftentimes, construction sites involve multiple companies and individuals working together, which can make determining responsibility more difficult. Depending on the circumstances, potentially liable parties may include:
A qualified construction accident lawyer can examine whether a party failed to maintain safe conditions, properly train workers, provide warnings, maintain equipment, or otherwise act with reasonable care. They may leverage evidence like photographs, videos, accident reports, and medical documentation to establish what happened and who should be held responsible.
In cases like these, it is important to understand that workers’ compensation and a third-party injury claim are not necessarily the same thing. Texas workers’ compensation laws may provide benefits for covered workplace injuries. Still, the victim may also have to file a separate personal injury claim when an outside party’s negligence contributed to the accident.
A third-party claim can provide an opportunity to pursue damages that aren’t available through workers’ compensation alone. This makes it all the more important to determine whether anyone other than the employer played a role in the incident.
A successful third-party personal injury claim should seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, physical impairment, and other damages. Serious injuries may also make it impossible for the worker to return to the same occupation, which often has lasting financial consequences.
Preserving evidence can play a vital role in how a construction accident claim is viewed and pursued. Given the nature of the work environment, equipment may be repaired or replaced, job-site conditions may change, and witnesses may become challenging to locate. For this reason, prompt documentation alongside a skilled Austin lawyer can make all the difference in protecting evidence that may later become an important part of the claim.
When it comes to your construction accident claim in Texas, identifying every potentially responsible party can make a significant difference. If you were seriously injured on a construction site, Djiba Law is here to help.
Call (512) 547-5742 today to speak with Malick Djiba about the circumstances of your accident and how to hold a third party legally responsible.
