Hemet Construction Accident Lawyer

Hemet is an ever expanding city. You are likely to stumble upon numerous construction projects underway constantly. While this amount of growth is necessary and desired in our city, it also increases the possibility for injury to construction workers as well as bystanders and passersby. After all, the construction industry has one of the highest rates of injury and death in the country.

“The Fatal Four”

According to figures released by OSHA, in 2013 alone, over 4,400 US workers were killed on the job, with 856 being attributed to construction accidents. Nearly 4 percent of all construction workers across the country have suffered severe injuries requiring them to lose time from work or have job restrictions or transfers. A staggering figure of one out of every five worker fatalities was in construction.

OSHA has labeled the “fatal four” leading causes of deaths on construction sites to be: falls, being struck by an object, electrocution or being caught or stuck in between two objects.

The Problem With Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ Compensation insurance only pays a small percentage of your regular wages, an amount that is generally not sufficient to support a family. This mediocre amount is all that is offered to compensate a construction injury victim for a possible lifetime of disability and loss of work. An experienced construction accident attorney at the Law Offices of Brent. A. Duque will advocate on your behalf to ensure that you receive the medical care and monetary compensation you are entitled to.

Third Party Liability

Depending on the specific details surrounding the accident, a construction worker who is injured on the job site might be eligible to recover further compensation while also receiving benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act. Let’s say, for example, that an electrician working for ABC Electrician was working on a ladder. Signs and warnings were posted in the electrician’s work area, but the ladder was hit by a van driven by XYZ Plumbers when the driver was distracted by his phone. He never saw the warnings, the ladder or the electrician. As a result of the fall, the electrician suffers a permanent injury.

Because XYZ is a separate and independent business entity, California law allows the electrician to file a personal injury lawsuit against XYZ and its driver at the same time he pursues his workers’ compensation claim. That’s called third party liability. Damages in the third party liability personal injury lawsuit aren’t limited like those in a workers’ compensation claim. While seeking damages in the lawsuit, the injured worker can also collect workers’ compensation benefits for purposes of paying medical bills and keeping their household and family going.

Others Get Injured Too

While it is plausible to assume that construction workers are at greater risk of injury due to increased exposure at a construction site, they are not the only ones who might get injured or killed in a construction accident. Motorists, pedestrians or others just going about their daily activities can also receive injury. A pedestrian or bystander could be injured by a falling tool or piece of construction material. A motorist using all necessary due care and caution around the site could be injured by a truck or by a heavy equipment operator. Even though these people are independent of anybody working on the construction project, they are still permitted to file a personal injury lawsuit against any companies and employees on the site that they believe were responsible for their injuries. If you have been wrongly involved and injured, we invite you to contact us as soon as you can about this.

At the Law Offices of Brent A. Duque, we employ a staff of a highly professional, energetic, knowledgeable and successful construction site accident lawyers who represent injured people through our offices that stretch across Southern California. Time limitations apply to any injury claim you might have, so for purposes of investigating a possible case and possibly preserving evidence, it’s best for you to contact us immediately after an accident.

Contact our Riverside County Personal Injury Attorney at 1-877-241-9554 to learn more about your legal options. A free consultation is just a phone call away. You can even use our online contact form, and we’ll reply to you quickly.