As businesses expand and the demand for housing grows, there has been a great deal of construction occurring in the Western Pennsylvania region. Unfortunately, with so many active construction sites in Indiana and the surrounding area, Western PA personal injury attorneys have seen many people getting hurt while walking or driving through construction worksites.
If you sustained serious injuries while passing through a work zone, you might be entitled to financial compensation from the people responsible for causing your harm. A seasoned Western, PA construction site accident lawyer could help you pursue a civil claim against the negligent party.
Many people engage in different types of activities simultaneously on construction sites. With all of the people and machinery performing work at the same time, worksites can be chaotic, which may lead to accidents. Some of the common ways that people suffer harm in construction areas include:
Pedestrians and drivers crossing through construction sites can suffer extensive injuries, such as head trauma, broken bones, burns, and harm from inhaling toxic materials. Sometimes these damages can also result in emotional pain, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
Local construction zone accident lawyers could work aggressively to pursue full and fair compensation that takes into account all of an injured claimant’s losses. This includes cataloguing both economic and non-economic losses that have incurred or will incur in the future.
People walking or driving through a work zone have the right to expect that they will be safe. Pedestrians should be able to walk on sidewalks and cross streets in construction areas without an increased risk of danger, and if the construction site is open to the public, people should be able to walk safely around all of the construction materials and equipment in the area. If the area is not safe to walk or drive through, the site should be closed and fenced off from the public. The people in charge of the worksite must set up a traffic detail to help navigate commuters and put up detour signs to ensure that people do not accidentally enter the construction zone.
If a construction worker does something wrong, such as negligently or recklessly drop a piece of heavy machinery, an injured bystander or driver could pursue a claim directly against the construction worker. A claimant could also pursue a claim against the construction worker’s employer under the theory of vicarious liability, in which an employer assumes some financial responsibility for his or her employee’s mistakes.
A claimant could also seek damages against the property owner, contractor, or subcontractor if he or she failed to take reasonable safety precautions to protect people. In the event that a defective machine or vehicle caused the injury, a lawyer could help a claimant pursue a claim against the machine’s manufacturer or servicer. A construction site accident attorney in Western PA could perform a thorough investigation of the accident to help demonstrate who bears liability.
If you suffered injuries while passing through a construction zone, you should reach out to a Western PA construction site accident lawyer to see if you could recover damages to cover your physical, emotional, and financial losses. Our team of experienced lawyers could help you decide whether it is in your best interest to go forward with a personal injury lawsuit. If so, we could represent your interests during settlement negotiations or through civil litigation. Contact Marcus & Mack today to set up an initial appointment for free.
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