Construction Accident Lawyer Tampa, FL

Construction Accident Lawyer Tampa, Fl

Construction workers who have been injured on the work site must talk with a construction accident lawyer in Tampa, FL about what they can do to recover from the incident. Construction injuries tend to be severe, serious, expensive, and potentially life-threatening too. Working at a construction site comes along with risks and threats every day, but this doesn’t mean the company doesn’t have to enforce strict safety protocols to help prevent accidents from happening. Unfortunately, sometimes an employer becomes careless and doesn’t provide workers with a reasonable level of protection they need to do their job safely. 

Workers’ Compensation

As a Tampa, FL construction accident lawyer is aware, every year in America thousands of construction workers get hurt or die on the job. Most employees understand that if they get hurt while performing a task or due to the environment, they have the right to submit a claim under a workers’ compensation program. 

However, there are restrictions when it comes to employees’ rights under workers’ compensation and taking action for a construction accident injury. With the exception of very specific situations, workers are not permitted to sue their employer for a job injury, even if the employer was responsible. The victim of the construction accident may be able to pursue compensation from a third party if they are liable due to a faulty construction product, gear, or machinery. A construction accident lawyer in Tampa can meet with you to help you decide whether a third-party company could have been at least partially at-fault for your injuries. 

Third-Party Liability and Negligence

Construction accidents can be complex in nature, and there may be several variables that contributed to the incident happening. With help from a FL construction accident lawyer at Jeff Murphy Law Firm, we can investigate whether a property owner, contractor, architect, engineer, or subcontractor could have played a role in the event occurring. 

Additionally, manufacturers and supplies for construction equipment must provide safe materials. A third party may be liable for negligence that resulted in injuries to a construction worker, permitting that the worker is not employed under their company. 

Filing a Third-Party Lawsuit

By filing a lawsuit against a third party, the injured construction worker can recover damages related to medical costs (current and future), lost wages, decreased earning capacity, pain and suffering, and more. But, in order to win the case, it must be shown exactly how this third party had committed negligence. Even if your employer was partially responsible, an injured worker can still file a lawsuit against a third party for financial restitution. Through evidence and strategy from your lawyer at Jeff Murphy Law, we can help you get the money you need to overcome the accident both financially and physically. 

Do not wait to take action regarding your construction accident. Such incidents are serious and may require insight from a construction accident lawyer in Tampa, FL at Jeff Murphy Law Firm, so please call us today for a free consultation. 

Third-Party Liability for Construction Zone Accidents

One of the more common types of third-party liability scenarios that occurs while workers are on the job involves worksite placement within construction zones. It is now well understood that distracted driving behaviors are ubiquitous among motorists and truck operators. As a result, all too often, construction zone workers are placed in scenarios wherein their worksites are well marked, and well advertised, and yet, they are still struck by motorists too interested in their phones to keep workers as safe as they otherwise should be. If you’re injured in a construction zone accident by a motorist, you’ll likely be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits from your employer AND file a third-party lawsuit against the motorist that struck you.

There are few scenarios more straightforward when it comes to pursuing both workers’ compensation and third-party personal injury settlements. As a result, if you’ve been injured in such an accident, please connect with our firm’s experienced Tampa, FL construction accident lawyer as soon as you possibly can. The sooner we understand the circumstances surrounding your accident, the sooner we can work to preserve your legal options and protect your rights.

Staying Safe When You Work in a Road Construction Zone

If you’ve already been hit, you may be wondering why we’re offering tips regarding construction zone safety. Oftentimes, after construction zone workers have been struck, they are compelled to resume work before they’ve fully recovered. The experienced Florida legal team at Jeff Murphy Law will do everything we can to keep this from being your reality. However, if you’re already back on the job and feeling understandably anxious about the possibility of being hurt again, these tips can help you until you can receive a case evaluation from our Tampa, FL construction accident lawyer and possibly return home to recover again.

The first tip is relatively obvious: wear all appropriate safety equipment. We mention this tip primarily because the work culture within many construction zone sites is such that workers don’t always support one another’s use of personal safety equipment. However, given your recent accident, it is unlikely that your co-workers will fault you for taking the necessary precautions. Second, speak with your site supervisor about the signage, traffic control strategy, and work safety mechanisms currently in place on the site. Are there any reasonable additions to these efforts that can be made to keep the crew even safer? Even if your site manager is hesitant to employ additional precautions, having a sound idea of what “safety” looks like on your site will help you to make informed decisions and will allow us to understand the circumstances you face when you arrive to work daily.

Five Injuries Common for Construction Accidents

As a construction accident lawyer Tampa, FL construction workers trust from Jeff Murphy Law knows, there are unlimited ways that a construction worker can get injured on the job, but below we have summarized the five most common:

Falls are by far the most common injuries sustained on construction sites, in fact, they make up more than a third of all construction-related accidents. These frequently occur when a worker has fallen from roofs, ladders, scaffolding, chimneys, and more. The severity of their fall depends on how far from the ground a worker was and the factors of the fall. In certain scenarios, safety equipment may have helped reduce the severity of injuries. But if an employer failed to provide safety gear, then they could be liable for the worker’s injury care and other losses.

Machinery accidents occur all too often at a construction site. For instance, construction workers use heavy machinery to carry out tasks needed to build a road, building, and more. Most supervisors and contractors go to immense lengths to ensure that employees are properly trained on all machinery. However, training may not be enough to prevent accidents from happening. Machinery may have broken parts or be defective, increasing the chances of serious injury. Even someone who uses the machines correctly and with protective gear may sustain injury if the equipment is flawed.

Construction workers work near power sources and power lines all the time, meaning that they are at risk of being electrocuted. A worker may mistakenly hit a power line with their tools or machinery. There are precautions that workers can take to reduce their chances of being electrocuted, but it still happens more often than it should. Construction jobs are inherently more dangerous, but this doesn’t mean that employers can be negligent and not offer safety protection when needed. Electrocution injuries can cause someone to have cardiac arrest, nerve and tissue damage, fall after contact with electricity, thermal burns from contact with an electrical source, and more.

Ground collapses are a serious concern and all efforts to prevent these incidents must be taken. When a construction crew excavates a building, they may interfere with areas of soil, and depending on its consistency, the earth may become unstable. The ground may collapse, taking workers with it. Devastatingly, many workers get trapped and killed when this occurs. Despite efforts to rescue the workers, it may have been too late. As your Tampa construction accident lawyer would suggest, surviving loved ones of someone who passed away due to a ground collapse may want to discuss taking legal action against the employer or other party that contributed to the accident happening in the first place.

Repetitive motion injuries can develop in any kind of work where someone is performing the same movements over and over again. In construction work specifically, there can be larger-scale injuries, particularly in the back due to constant picking up, squatting, reaching, leaning over, and more. Doing the same task without enough time to recover can damage muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, and nerves. As a Tampa construction accident lawyer may offer, recognizing these symptoms when they first arise is crucial to preventing further damage.

Legal Assistance Is Available

If you’ve been struck by a motorist while in a construction zone, you’re in a unique position to potentially benefit both from the workers’ compensation system and from filing a third-party personal injury lawsuit. Please contact our firm’s Tampa, FL construction accident lawyer as soon as you can. Once you’ve explored your legal options, you can make an informed decision concerning how you wish to proceed. We look forward to speaking with you. 

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