Construction Accident Lawyer in Chicago

Visit any large construction site and you might see a big sign with interchangeable numbers that indicate how many days they have worked without an accident. It is a good stretch when they reach double digits.

A construction site of any size is an accident waiting to happen. A young couple hired a company to replace their roof. The woman was seriously injured when a Skilsaw fell through an opening in the roof and hit her while she was walking to her kitchen. Conversely, on a large construction site, to speed up work the foreman disabled the safety features on the freight elevator on the side of the multi-story structure. A malfunction caused by the disabled safety features caused the elevator to bind, sending heavy construction material hurling toward the unsuspecting workers below.

Depending on the nature of your accident, there are various legal ways to claim compensation for a construction zone injury. If you were injured as an employee, you may be able to file a worker’s compensation claim. If you were a visitor or a passerby, you may be compensated in a personal injury case.

Talk to a Chicago construction accident attorney at Willens & Baez so we can help you determine your rights and options. We are experienced in construction accidents, and we are ready to listen to you.

Determining liability

Construction companies are required to maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors to the site. When they don’t do this, they could be held liable for anyone injured under those conditions. Additionally, any defective equipment or tools on the site may lead back to the manufacturer of the tool or equipment as the liable party. Our experience in dealing with construction site accidents can help you receive the compensation you need from your accident.

In our decades of handling worksite accidents, we’ve seen too many times that liability can be traced back to a violation of construction safety rules. In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the agency that enforces federal workplace safety regulations. It has recently determined that these are the most frequent safety violations at construction sites:

• Fall protection
• General requirements for scaffolding
• Ladder safety
• Machinery and machine guarding
• Eye and face protection.

These coincide with the top causes of worker fatalities at construction sites, which OSHA calls the “Construction’s Fatal Four”. They are:

1. Falls – 381 out of 971 total deaths in construction in 2017
2. Struck by object – 80 deaths
3. Electrocutions – 71 deaths
4. Caught in equipment/crushed – 50 deaths.

Did an OSHA violation cause your injury? Was the construction company negligent? Was there an irresponsible third party involved? Reach out to a Chicago construction accident lawyer at Willens Law to discuss the potential liable parties in your accident.

Construction Site Injuries

It takes the collaborative effort of many different people to erect a building. It all starts with building plans and blueprints created by the architect. Then construction crews get to work actually building. There are construction workers, site foremen, general contractors and various subcontractors all involved in the building process. With so many different people working together to create a new or renovated structure, construction sites are often very busy places.

Busy construction sites can pose the potential for causing personal injuries to workers on the site. There are so many people on an active construction site and so many large pieces of construction equipment and heavy machinery, in addition to large quantities of building materials and tools, which need to be transported to various locations around the building site, that it is quite possible that someone could get hurt.

The following accidents are common in these work sites:

• Scaffolding or bridge collapse
• Falling from a height
• Injuries with equipment and tools (ladders, saws, power tools, nail guns, etc.)
• Cutting accidents
• Electrocution
• Fires and explosions
• Crane accidents
• Chemical accidents
• Heavy-lifting injuries
• Fork lift accidents
• Construction vehicle accidents (cement mixers, dump trucks, etc.).

Injuries resulting from such accidents are often serious, with some involving a lifetime of chronic pain. There are those that lead to death. Some common construction injuries are traumatic brain injuries (TBI), neck or spine injuries, paralysis, eyesight or hearing damage, limb loss, burns, back injuries, and fractures.

If you are injured while working on a construction site, an experienced construction accident attorney in Chicago will let you know about all the options you have. These options might include the following:

1. Making a claim against your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. If you are a construction worker, you are likely an employee of a company that has workers’ compensation insurance. You are not suing your employer when you file a workers’ compensation claim. Rather, your employer has workers’ compensation insurance for situations in which employees get hurt on the job.
2. There might be a possible claim against the general contractor of the work site. The general contractor is tasked with overseeing the operation and management of the construction site. As such, if you are hurt while working, you likely can pursue a claim against the general contractor of your work site.
3. There could be a claim against the company at fault for the injury. If an injury was caused by a faulty piece of equipment that was rented from a third party company, you might have a claim against the third party company. Whether you are able to pursue a claim against a third party will depend on the facts surrounding your case, but it is good to know that this might be an avenue of compensation available to you.
4. If harm was caused as a result of the architect’s building plans, you might have a claim. Architectural drawings must comply with certain standards and must be accurate. If there is something wrong with the architect’s drawings, which ultimately causes an injury to occur, then the architect might also be liable to you, the injured party.
5. A subcontractor might be at fault for the harm that was caused. You might also be able to pursue a subcontractor if they are at fault for causing the injury.
6. A manufacturer may be liable. When a piece of equipment or machinery is proved defective, the manufacturer may be held responsible for any resulting injuries.
7. Filing a lawsuit against employer. Suing an employer over a workplace injury is possible only in certain circumstances. One instance is when your employer does not have worker’s comp insurance. Another case is when your employer intentionally harmed you on the job.
   At Willens & Baez, we will help you understand how these options may apply to your case, determining which one would give you the best chance of getting compensated. We have successfully represented clients with construction injuries, whether they were claiming worker’s comp, claiming from a third party, or pursuing a lawsuit.

Willens Law Effectively Helps The Injured

Many injured individuals in the Chicago area trust Willens & Baez, as we have obtained full and fair compensation for clients with construction site injuries. These are only some of our successful construction cases:

• A $750,000 settlement for a falling accident
• A $430,000 settlement for a scaffolding accident
• A $400,000 settlement for injuries from an improperly guarded ground hole
• A $378,495 verdict for a cut muscle accident.

We are eager to apply our winning experience for you. Call us today for a free consultation.

Claiming Compensation