The construction industry has the highest on-the-job fatality rate in Massachusetts, making construction the most dangerous job you can have. Workers who are not killed in construction site accidents often suffer permanent debilitating injuries. Because there are multiple potentially liable parties on a construction site, getting the compensation you deserve after an accident can be a prohibitively complicated process. The personal injury attorneys at Brooks & Crowley LLP accept this challenge and will fight to get you the help you need to recover when you are seriously hurt in a construction accident.

Types of Construction Accident Injury Cases Our Experienced Dedham, Massachusetts Attorneys Handle

At Brooks & Crowley LLP, we have helped injured construction workers, bystanders, and family members recover the compensation they deserved after a devastating accident. The kinds of accidents we typically see include:

Falls

Construction workers often are required to work on ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, and falls from these high places, unfortunately, occur all too often. Workers who survive these falls may become paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury or sustain a traumatic brain injury, making them unable to work ever again. When faulty equipment or dangerous conditions are the fault of a third party, the injured worker might be able to file a lawsuit for negligence.

Electrical accidents

Unfortunately, electrocutions, shocks, and arc blasts are a daily occurrence on construction sites. Electrical shocks can cause damage to the skin, severe neurological damage, paralysis, or death. In many high-voltage injury cases, a third party such as the property owner, utility company, or subcontractor may be responsible. If the negligence is traced back to someone on the job site other than your employer, you may have grounds for a third-party lawsuit.

Crane & forklift accidents

Equipment such as forklifts and cranes are the source of many construction site accidents and injuries. Often, this machinery is owned by a subcontractor or other supplier. When poor maintenance of the crane or forklift is determined to be the cause of an accident, a third party may be liable. Likewise, if a worker is injured by an operator who works for another employer on the site, he may have a negligence claim.

Motor vehicle crashes

Whether onsite or coming and going from a site, truck crashes are a common cause of injury to construction workers. The owner or operator of the vehicle could be liable for compensating victims.

If you are injured on a construction site, your employer will likely want to settle the matter right away. However, just because you are covered by workers’ compensation doesn’t mean you are not eligible for additional compensation if a third party’s negligence contributed to the accident.

What Makes These Claims So Complicated?

Most construction workers are covered by workers’ compensation in Massachusetts. That means that if they are injured while doing their job, they can file a workers’ comp claim, and their employer’s workers’ comp insurance company will cover medical bills and lost wages. 

An employee cannot sue his direct employer for negligence in a work-related accident. However, construction sites often have multiple contractors and subcontractors working at the same time, not to mention inspectors and deliveries coming and going. Each of these entities has its own personnel, equipment, and responsibilities at the site. 

If the accident that caused your injuries was the fault of someone on the site who was not your direct employer, you could have a third-party personal injury claim. Determining who is responsible for the accident requires a thorough investigation by an experienced team who is committed to your best interests.

Contact Brooks & Crowley LLP to Discuss Your Options

Construction is grueling, dangerous work. Shortcuts are often taken on job sites that compromise your safety. If you are injured in an accident on a construction site, you don’t have to settle for less than what you need to support yourself and your family as you recover. We can help you pursue compensation for pain and suffering, wrongful death, and other losses arising out of the accident and obtain the maximum recovery possible for you and your family. Contact us to put our experience to work for you.

We provide free consultations in one of our three Boston-area offices or a location more convenient for you. We will be direct and honest about your case so that you can make the best decisions for you and your family. Our service area in eastern Massachusetts includes Brookline, Weston, Wellesey, Newton, Dover and South Boston, along with their surrounding areas.