Accidents occur every day, and no one can be completely prepared for them. While minor injuries can be quickly treated and not disrupt your lifestyle, major accidents might negatively impact you. Major injuries can result in a mountain of medical bills, a loss of ability to work, pain, and financial stress.
Accidents are common on construction sites, for example. You will be able to relax and focus on your recovery while the financial side of things is taken care of by an experienced attorney. The following are the main reasons why you should consult a construction site accident lawyer right away if you or someone you know has been in an accident on a construction site.
Hold All Responsible Parties Accountable
Typically, multiple companies’ employees work on a building project at the same time. As a result, construction and utility workers, subcontractors, government and union personnel, and others all work on the same job sites.
Although workers’ compensation awards may cover expenses for injured construction employees, many accidents on the job are caused by complicated circumstances involving third parties other than the workers’ employer. A construction accident lawyer can quickly follow the chain of events leading up to an injury and assist in determining who else is responsible.
In addition, a lawyer who has handled construction site cases knows what types of data to collect to create a liability case.
Negotiate With Insurance Companies
Accidents on construction sites are notoriously dangerous, from bruises and lacerations to death. Insurance adjusters can make collecting maximum pay for a claim difficult, even though workers’ compensation insurers rarely deny coverage for injured construction workers.
Recovery, medical or funeral expenses, and the emotional exhaustion that follows a construction site accident often overwhelm injured workers and their families. Additionally, they may be worried about future financial burdens and accept an insurer’s first settlement offer, which may be too low to cover their accident-related expenses.
Injured construction workers and their families can avoid accepting settlements that only cover a fraction of their losses by hiring a lawyer who understands insurance practices and knows how to communicate with adjusters. An experienced lawyer can also evaluate the case’s acceptable value and use that to negotiate with an adjuster – said Lewis Banks, one of the senior managers at LegalDrop.com
Fight for Injured Workers’ Rights
Workers whose employers neglect to file claims or are subjected to retaliation can also hire a lawyer to represent their rights. Because of the dangerous nature of construction work, workers’ compensation insurance has high premiums. However, it is illegal for an employer to decline to provide this insurance in most states. Moreover, premium rates rise as the number of claims increases; thus, construction companies need to follow strict safety protocols.
To prevent premium increases, construction company owners may refuse to file workers’ compensation claims on behalf of injured workers. When an employer refuses to file a claim or misfiles claim paperwork, a lawyer can advise a construction worker on how to proceed. For example, a lawyer can contact employers to explain their obligations regarding initiating claims.
Finally, a lawyer will advise a client about pursuing claims for damages that workers’ compensation insurance does not cover, like emotional suffering damages.
Resolve Clients’ Claims Quickly
Construction workers who contact a construction accident lawyer as soon as they are injured might avoid having their claims processed in an unnecessarily long time. The most common bottleneck in resolving claims is the missing or incorrect documentation. A construction accident lawyer can help you with every stage of the claims procedure and anticipate all of the evidence and paperwork that an insurance provider will need, such as:
- Medical records and bills
- Lists of workers’ accident-related expenses
- Accident site photos
- Eyewitness statements
- Injured workers’ descriptions of jobs and confirmation of wages
Help Clients Understand the True Value of Their Claims
Most insurance adjusters work hard to minimize settlement payments as low as possible. As a result, they make decisions in the best interests of their employers rather than injured construction workers. An experienced lawyer, on the other hand, can assist injured workers and their families in valuing their claims by pointing out losses that they may have overlooked in their initial calculations. Many workers, for example, may assume that a reasonable settlement simply covers their immediate out-of-pocket expenses and does not consider a broader range of losses, such as:
- Future earnings
- Costs associated with transportation during recovery
- Costs associated with long-term care
- Decreased quality of life and others.
Lawyers who recognize the full extent of an accident’s impact on their clients’ life can work to secure the maximum possible settlement amounts.
Final Words
Although workers’ compensation can usually cover various expenses resulting from a construction site injury, payments are sometimes inadequate to protect the financial and emotional turmoil that construction accidents have on workers and their families.
If you or your loved one has sustained an injury while working at a construction site, contact an experienced construction accident lawyer as soon as possible to schedule a free consultation to discuss your options. Let the experts help you secure peace of mind and your family’s financial future as they are experienced and also familiar with a state’s statute of limitations.
About Author
Lewis G. Khashan is the founder and practicing attorney at Khashan Law Firm. He is a Personal Injury Attorney having over 20 years’ of combined experience representing seriously injured clients in California and obtaining millions of dollars in monetary compensation on their behalf.
