Construction is a high-hazard industry where accidents can frequently occur with severe injuries and fatalities, potentially upending the lives of dozens of people in one incident.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and categorized by industry, the private construction industry has frequently reported a high number of fatal work injuries in the state of Georgia.
If you have been injured in a construction accident or you have lost a family member due to negligent behavior on a construction site, it’s important to take action to ensure that you and your family are compensated for losses and damages.
Hiring a lawyer to represent you and submit your claim on your behalf is an important first step to recouping the losses that you have endured as a victim of a construction accident.
The CEO Lawyer is an experienced Atlanta construction accident lawyer, helping injured construction workers and their families in their greatest time of need.
Ali Awad and the legal team at CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm will determine the value of your claim based on your individual case and pursue compensation from at-fault and negligent parties.
Speak to an Atlanta construction accident lawyer during a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation where we will discuss your claim and the path forward.
To schedule your free, no-obligation, confidential case review, contact us online or call (404) 777-8800.
How Will An Atlanta Construction Accident Attorney Help Your Case?
How Will An Atlanta Construction Accident Attorney Help Your Case?Personal injury claims filed in the construction industry can be complex and challenging to manage on your own.
The burden of determining the best path to move your case forward, deciding how much compensation you should seek in your claim, and understanding the specifics of the law with respect to your construction accident claim can be an overwhelming and daunting task.
In many cases pertaining to construction accidents, a workers’ compensation claim will repay medical treatment costs related to your construction accident injuries. Benefits from worker’s compensation will also provide at least some wages lost due to long-term disability.
Additionally, the claimant can also file for compensation from a third party.
A construction job site is generally an ongoing collaborative project involving a combination of sub-contractors, government and union personnel, utility company workers, and others working side-by-side at the same job site.
Property owners have a duty to ensure a reasonably safe job site for all to the degree of control they have. All of these individuals working on a construction site project simultaneously can mean that the accident involves multiple liable parties beyond the worker’s employer.
Benefits of Working with the CEO Lawyer
Depending on the severity of the injuries, employees might be struck with lifelong disability and the inability to return to perform former job duties. In extreme cases, fatal accidents leave families grieving the death and traumatic loss of a loved one.
Although you may be tempted to go it alone, it’s in your best interests to consult a lawyer for your Atlanta construction accident claim. The CEO Lawyer can help your family recover from the construction site incident and its harmful results.
We understand that this is a distressing time, rife with physical discomfort and mental anguish. You can count on us to help you navigate the legal process throughout all stages of your claim and safeguard your rights with confidence.
Our skilled team of Atlanta personal injury attorney experts will not only take the lead and handle all of the details to move your claim forward on the correct path from the beginning, but we will also fight your legal battles for your unique construction accident.
With client-focused representation, our goal is to thoroughly research the specifics of your personal injury claim, accurately calculate a fair damages compensation package, determine all parties that may be liable, and go after them using the most effective legal strategies available.
Common Construction Accidents and Injuries
Considered one of the most essential jobs in our country, construction jobs are an integral part of our growing communities. We count on construction crews to build safe housing, office buildings, community centers, and facilities.
Unfortunately, construction sites are also inherently dangerous places to work.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has been tasked by Congress — under the United States Department of Labor — with setting and enforcing safety standards, rules, and guidelines for construction sites. They also provide training and education.
The National Safety Council has identified construction as one of the leading most dangerous work-related industries. The NSC also reports that the construction industry has been a leading sector in preventable fatal injuries.
Both of these agencies recognize that a majority of construction site accidents can be traced back to these main categories:
- Falling — Includes falling from heights and slipping or tripping.
- Struck by injuries — The impact between a person and an object or piece of equipment. For example, this category includes being a worker being struck by a machine or falling construction materials.
- Contact with electricity — The worker may experience burns or, in extreme cases, cardiac arrest, nerve damage, or death.
- Caught in or between — The category encompasses all instances where a construction worker is caught in between two or more objects and becomes trapped.
- Collapsing ground or structure — when a wall or floor collapses on a construction site or a trench collapses on a worker.
- Vehicle accidents — OSHA reports that construction workers are just as likely to be hit by a passing vehicle on a road work zone as they are by a piece of construction equipment.
Top Causes of Construction Injuries and Fatalities
OSHA concludes that the leading cause of fatalities in construction accidents can be attributed to the Fatal Four hazards and educates workers to warn against and promote the prevention of construction accidents involving falls, electrocutions, caught in-betweens, and struck-bys.
While OSHA’s Fatal Four may be considered everyday hazards in the construction industry, they can be exacerbated by negligent behavior by the architect, contractor, subcontractor, engineer, project manager, site foreman, or any member of the construction team.
Some examples of careless construction site behavior include:
- Failure to comply with building, scaffold, and temporary structure codes
- Non-compliance with safety requirements
- Neglecting to provide the proper safety equipment
- Excavation trenches that are not properly marked, secured or shored up
- Lack of proper training to work near electrical hazards
Unsafe landscapes on construction sites not only break national and local safety rules and regulations but also increase the likelihood of injuries in an industry that is already fraught with dangerous conditions.
Construction Accident Workers Compensation Claim
Georgia law requires any business with three or more workers to have workers’ compensation insurance — this includes part-time employees. If a worker is injured on the job, they can claim benefits under the Georgia workers’ compensation laws.
Work-related injuries, in general, are not uncommon. The Center for Disease Control estimates that about 1.8 million people in the US suffer injuries at work each year, with slips, trips, and falls accounting for about 18 percent of these accidents.
If you have been injured in a construction site accident, it’s important to take these immediate steps.
Assess Your Injuries
Certain types of injuries are not immediately obvious. It’s recommended to get examined by medical professionals to both determine the full extent of your injuries and to document any trauma you have suffered in connection with your accident.
Seek Medical Attention
If your injuries are extreme, seek emergency medical services immediately.
Spinal Cord Injuries, head trauma, and internal injuries are among some of the serious injuries that require immediate medical attention. Keep all receipts for medical bills and prescriptions in order to request repayment later in an injury claim.
Document Your Injuries and the Accident Site
If possible, to do so safely, document the accident by taking photographs of both the job site and the immediate location of the incident and your personal injuries. It’s also helpful to take note of anyone who might have witnessed the accident and get their contact information for later.
Notify Management
Always notify your immediate supervisor or other responsible parties at the site after an accident, especially in instances where you are injured at work and plan to file a workers’ compensation claim.
You have a legal right to use workers’ compensation insurance if you have been injured at work. The best practice is to notify management in writing and save a copy of the written notification for yourself.
An email also serves the purpose of notifying your supervisor and provides you with a copy of the communication in case notification receipt is ever challenged.
Whether you have already filed a worker’s compensation claim or you are still considering your next step, documenting every stage in the process leaves your options open and helps document the steps you took in the wake of your injury.
Filing A Workers Compensation Claim In Atlanta
Georgia workers’ compensation laws are in place to protect workers in the event of an accident.
If you’ve been a victim and have sustained injuries in a construction accident in Atlanta, you can file a workers’ compensation claim as part of the process of recouping your lost wages and medical expenses from the accident.
The State of Georgia workers’ compensation website suggests that you may want to seek a lawyer before filing a workers’ compensation claim and notes that in a hearing, your employer may be represented by a lawyer.
At CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, a workers’ compensation attorney is responsible for representing the employee, or claimant, against the employer to help the worker recover or be compensated for all work-related injuries and losses on the job.
Common Construction Accidents And Injuries
According to the Associated Builders and Contractors analysis, the construction industry had over 400,000 job openings last quarter. This means that many construction sites are potentially operating with overworked managers and a shortage of construction workers.
These circumstances can lead to careless and neglectful behavior resulting in accidents that are no fault of the victim.
Some of the most common injuries from construction site accidents are
- Traumatic brain injuries from direct head injuries or from being hit in the head by falling or flying objects that strike at an angle where the safety helmet does not provide sufficient protection.
- Broken bones or loss of limb as a result of a slip or fall from scaffolding, ladders, machinery accidents, or any accident caused by the infrastructure of the construction site.
- Burns from electrical contact, chemical exposure, gas leaks, fires, or explosions.
- Respiratory ailments in the event that the worker has been exposed to hazardous materials or the safety equipment was faulty, respiratory ailments are an example of injuries that can have delayed onset or cause lifetime disabilities.
- Hearing loss from constant and repeated exposure to high noise levels from power tools and heavy machinery on the construction job site.
- Back, neck, and spinal cord injuries from a fall, being pinned under machinery, or sometimes repetitive stress.
- Equipment injuries resulting in any of the above, in addition to serious maiming or amputation of a bodily appendage.
Work With an Atlanta Construction Accident Law Firm Dedicated to Serving You
If you have been the victim of a construction site accident and have questions or are seeking assistance in filing your workers’ compensation claim and recouping your losses, the Atlanta construction accident attorneys at CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm are here to serve you.
Additionally, if you’ve experienced a prolonged loss of wages, or permanent disability, our construction accident lawyer will look at all available avenues for recouping monetary losses from all at-fault parties.
A third-party lawsuit can mean the difference between getting compensated for all of your lost wages due to the accident or only a portion.
Submit the contact form below to schedule a free consultation, no-obligation, and confidential review of your case. Our experienced legal team is here to help you get your life back on track and seek the maximum amount of compensation available.
To schedule your free, no-obligation, confidential case review, contact us online or call (404) 777-8800.
