Passing near or through construction zones is a common experience for most commuters and pedestrians. Roads and streets are constantly under repair or undergoing expansion, and new homes and buildings are constructed all the time.
These sites have inherent dangers, and the construction companies who manage them must adhere to strict safety procedures to protect passers-by. If they do not, they could be liable to pay the damages of anyone who is injured as a result of their negligence.
If you were hurt while passing through a work zone or at a building site, a DuBois construction site accident lawyer could help you get compensation. A talented DuBois personal injury attorney could help you recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, physical suffering, and inconvenience.
Building sites and work zones are often hives of activity. Employees of different companies that might not often work together ply their trades side by side, all adhering to tight schedules. They might not pay adequate attention to safety measures and their failure could endanger visitors, bystanders, and employees.
There are myriad ways someone might be hurt at a construction site, including:
It is crucial for anyone who is hurt when passing through or by a building zone to get immediate medical treatment. A DuBois lawyer could use the medical records the doctor generates to establish that the individual suffered an injury and the incident at the worksite was the cause. It is more difficult to prove a causal connection between an accident and an injury if there is a delay in seeking medical care or any subsequent gaps in treatment.
When construction workers are injured at a jobsite, they must seek compensation from their employers through the workers’ compensation system. However, if the worker was injured as a result of a third party’s negligence (other than the employer), he or she may have a negligence action, in addition to a workers’ compensation claim. When other people who are not working on the project, such as pedestrians, motorists, or passers-by suffer injuries, they must bring a claim against the party or parties whose negligence caused their injury.
Identifying potentially negligent parties could be a complex and time-consuming process. A DuBois lawyer could investigate the circumstances of the construction site accident to determine how it occurred and who might be responsible. There could be multiple parties whose actions contributed to the claimant’s injuries. Depending on the circumstances, defendants in a personal injury case arising from a construction site accident might include the:
Sometimes an injured person was partially responsible for the accident that injured him or her. Perhaps he was speeding in a work zone, or she cut across a building site instead of staying in a marked pedestrian path. 42 P.S.§7102 allows negligent plaintiffs to collect damages as long as they are not primarily responsible for an accident. If the plaintiff bears 50 percent or less of the fault for the accident, he or she could collect reduced damages from negligent defendants.
The money an injured person seeks for his or her personal injuries is called “damages.” Damages could include all losses associated with the injury, including unreimbursed medical expenses, lost wages, used sick time, property damage, and incidental expenses the injured person incurred during treatment and recovery. If the injuries are severe enough to require ongoing medical care or will prevent the plaintiff from going back to work, damages could include amounts to cover these projected future losses.
Injured people could also claim damages for the subjective impacts of their injury. Depending on the circumstances, damages might compensate an accident victim’s disfigurement, emotional suffering, lost enjoyment of life, disability, physical pain, embarrassment, inconvenience, and lost companionship. A worksite accident attorney in DuBois could help an injured person assemble convincing proof of the impact the injury has on his or her quality of life.
Contact a DuBois Construction Site Accident Attorney Right AwayBuilding site accident cases often raise complicated issues of liability. The insurers of the contractors and businesses often play hardball and could take advantage of an injured person or an unprepared attorney.
A DuBose construction site accident lawyer has the experience and the temperament to fight back if negligent parties attempt to shirk their responsibility. Book a consultation at Marcus & Mack as soon as possible to get a strong advocate fighting for you.
