Being inherently hazardous, the construction industry exposes its workers to various risks. Construction site workers rely on their supervisors and peers to maintain the highest safety standards. Despite these precautions, accidents can occur, often leading to serious injuries. If such misfortunes leave you severely injured with significant medical bills, contemplating legal avenues for compensation should be a priority.

Most workers on construction sites can’t file lawsuits unless certain rules are broken. Instead, they have to use workers comp. But personal injury lawsuits can be filed against anyone besides the employer who may have contributed to the accident, and in some cases, even against the employer. A lawyer can help you figure out who is at fault in a lawsuit and what kind of proof you need to back up your claims. 

After a construction accident, you may be in a lot of pain and be getting deeper and deeper into debt. Our Westchester, New York construction accident attorneys can help you figure out who to sue to get the money you need. Contact us at the Law Office of Cesar Zuniga, Esq. to talk about your case in a free consultation. For help, call us at (914) 677-1330. 

Suing Your Employer 

Workers who get hurt on the job in New York can obtain workers’ compensation. Workers compensation is usually the only way for an injured worker to be compensated from injuries sustained at their workplace. Usually, workers can’t sue their employers. 

Even though “employees” can’t sue their employers, there may be ways to sue for compensation after an accident on a construction site. Employers are responsible for making sure their workers are safe and secure at work. If you think  your employer failed to maintain a safe construction site and broke safety rules, we can work to hold them accountable. For these purposes, “employee” refers to anyone who is hired to do construction work, whether they are an employee or a contractor.

If you were injured in a workplace accident, there is also the option of suing a third party that caused or contributed to your accident and injuries. A third party is anyone other than your employer. For example, if your work-related injury was caused by a faulty piece of equipment manufactured by a third party company or a driver who was passing by a construction site, you may be able to sue them. This lawsuit is sometimes brought against both your employer and the third party. 

In construction accidents, where workers depend on power tools and heavy machinery to do their jobs safely, it is not unusual to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer for being careless. If tools or machinery are broken and don’t work right, workers can get hurt. Under the theory of products liability, you could sue the company that made the broken equipment or even the store that sold it to you. 

Our construction accident lawyers in Westchester, New York, can help you look at all of your legal options. 

Types of Damages Sustained in Construction Site Accidents

“Damages” is a legal term for any loss a person has because of an accident, whether it’s money or something else. Your injuries could be physical, emotional, or property-related. 

During a construction accident, many construction workers and contractors are seriously injured. Your injuries may have been so bad that you needed medical care, which may still be going on. As part of your damages, you can claim any hospital expenses and any treatments, like surgery, medicine, physical therapy, or equipment like crutches or wheelchairs. We can talk to medical professionals to obtain  an idea of how much any future medical bills will cost and add those costs as well. 

If you get hurt on the job, you might not be able to work anymore, and you might lose the money you would have made. Whether the accident was caused by your employer or by someone else, you can usually claim lost wages and earnings as part of your damages. This includes not only income lost from your current job, but also income lost from future jobs. 

Damages can also include injuries and losses that can’t be seen or touched and don’t have a set price. Both physical and emotional pain and suffering can be recovered. Because of the accident, you may also have to deal with a disability or disfigurement, which can be very hard, emotionally speaking. Our Westchester construction accident attorneys can help you determine out how much these damages are worth by looking at how they have changed your life. 

Proving Liability for a Construction Accident 

When you file a lawsuit over an accident on the job site, you need to think carefully about the proof you need to back up your claims. Our Westchester construction accident lawyers have dealt with cases like yours before and can help you gather the evidence you need. 

Physical evidence about your accident on the job site could help your case. How you were hurt may affect whether or not there is physical proof. If your accident was caused by a broken piece of equipment, that broken piece of equipment will be a key piece of physical evidence. 

Photographing the scene of the accident is also helpful. Some pieces of physical evidence, like big pieces of machinery or equipment, should be photographed or videotaped. If you fell off scaffolding because a careless third party spilled something wet and slippery on it, like their morning coffee, photos of the scaffolding with the spilled substance will be important. 

Many construction sites are under video surveillance. Most of the time, this kind of surveillance is done to protect against theft or vandalism. But surveillance cameras can also record accidents, which can then be used as proof. If you think your accident was caught on security footage, talk to your boss or whoever is in charge of the construction site right away. Usually, security footage is erased after a few days. 

Our Westchester construction accident lawyers can help you find and talk to people who might have seen your accident happen on the job site. Almost anyone who saw or heard your accident as it happened could be a witness. Coworkers who were at the scene of the accident with you or passersby who heard what happened could be very helpful in court. 

Call Our Westchester Construction Accident Lawyers 

If you were hurt on the job at a construction site, you have a few legal options for getting paid for your injuries. Our Westchester construction accident lawyers can help you gather the proof you need and write legal arguments to back up your claims. Call (914) 677-1330 to talk to a lawyer for free at the Law Office of Cesar Zuniga, Esq. 

We can also assist with other types of personal injury matters. To learn more click for more information. 

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