Were you injured on a construction site in Summerville, South Carolina? Are you struggling with mounting medical bills, lost wages from missed work, and other unforeseen expenses? As an injured construction worker, you need to understand your legal rights to seek compensation for the injuries you have suffered. You may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits or other forms of compensation. Our attorneys at Joye Law Firm are ready to review the details of your construction accident at no charge and discuss your options for seeking compensation.
Our Summerville construction injury lawyers at Joye Law Firm know that you need someone who understands what you’re going through and can help you seek the full compensation afforded by South Carolina law. Our law firm has been serving South Carolinians for more than 50 years. We are proud of the results we have achieved. We have helped many construction workers just like you. Our attorneys are committed to doing our best to help injured workers get back on their feet.
Contact us today at 888-324-3100 to discuss your accident during a free consultation with a knowledgeable member of our legal team.
Types of Construction Accidents in Summerville
Our Summerville injury lawyers frequently handle cases involving the following types of construction site accidents:
- Slips, trips, and falls – Slips, trips, and falls may not sound serious, but these common accidents can be serious on construction sites.
- Falls from heights – Falling from ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or other elevated surfaces can cause serious injuries. The blunt-force impact of a fall from heights can cause broken bones, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other internal injuries. Falls account for the largest share of construction accidents.
- Falling objects – When tools, materials, or other objects fall from heights or are propelled through the air at a construction site, they can strike a construction worker with enough force to cause severe injuries.
- Transportation accidents – Construction workers often work near heavy equipment at a construction site. A worker on foot may be struck and seriously injured by a piece of heavy construction equipment such as a dozier, backhoe, crane, or dump truck if the equipment operator loses sight of the nearby worker. Transportation accidents are common on construction sites.
- Fires and explosions –When fires or explosions occur at construction sites, a construction worker may suffer serious burns, smoke inhalation, or injuries from the shock wave of the explosion.
- Electric shocks and electrocution – When a construction worker comes into direct contact with an energized powerline overhead or underground, the worker can suffer an electrical shock or fatal electrocution.
What Are Common Causes of Work-Related Construction Site Accidents?
Construction workers encounter many hazards on job sites and are uniquely susceptible to work-related injuries. The construction industry consistently has one of the highest rates of severe and fatal workplace injuries in South Carolina. Common causes of work-related construction site accidents in Summerville include:
- Safety code violations — Construction contractors are required to provide safe work conditions, warn of known hazards, and follow standard safety practices to prevent construction worker injuries. Construction crew members may suffer preventable injuries when construction supervisors neglect to abide by applicable safety standards.
- Lack of supervision or training – Construction workers may suffer severe occupational injuries if they are not provided safety training and necessary safety equipment, such as fall protection gear if their job involves working at heights.
- Scaffolding and trench collapses – When temporary structures such as scaffolds are not erected and secured properly, they may overturn or collapse. Scaffolds should have guardrails and footboards. Scaffolds and trenches can collapse if not properly constructed. Scaffolding and trench collapses can result in crushing injuries and death.
- Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) – Construction sites are often home to various hazards that require workers to use personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, hard hats, fall protection, and hand protection that is right for the job. When employers fail to provide adequate safety equipment or replace worn safety equipment, preventable injuries can occur.
- Inadequate maintenance – Large pieces of equipment such as backhoes and cranes are necessary for many construction jobs. When these pieces of equipment are poorly maintained, inadequately inspected, or operated beyond their load capacity, serious construction accidents can occur.
- Overexertion and repetitive motion strain – Construction workers who do heavy lifting or other strenuous tasks can suffer overexertion injuries. Those who perform repetitive work tasks can develop debilitating repetitive stress injuries requiring surgery and time off work.
- Unattended spills, leaks, or clutter – When construction workers are forced to navigate around slippery surfaces or excessive debris as they work, slip and fall or trip and fall accidents are bound to happen.
- Exposure to toxins or hazardous noise levels – Toxic substances such as chemical fumes and other hazardous materials can cause occupational burns and other injuries. When workers in loud environments lack proper hearing protection equipment, they can develop irreversible hearing loss.
Recoverable Compensation in a Construction Accident
If you have suffered an on-the-job injury as a construction worker in Summerville or anywhere in South Carolina, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Most South Carolina employers with four or more employers are required to have workers’ compensation insurance. The insurance pays for medical expenses and a portion of lost wages when employees get hurt at work. Workers’ comp insurance is a type of no-fault insurance. As an injured construction worker, you may be eligible for benefits regardless of who was at fault.
Some construction companies try to avoid paying workers’ comp benefits by misclassifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees. A knowledgeable Summerville workers’ compensation lawyer at Joye Law Firm can evaluate your employment status and determine whether you should be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. If your employer is disputing your right to benefits, you should talk with an experienced workplace injury lawyer to understand your rights.
If you are covered by your employer’s workers’ comp insurance, you cannot sue your own employer for work-related injuries. But if another construction company or any other “third party” created unsafe conditions that caused you injury, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit.
Multiple construction companies often are active on a construction site at the same time, including a general contractor and various subcontractors. If you were injured due to hazardous conditions created by a company other than your employer, you might have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit against the company that was at fault for your injury. When filing a personal injury claim, you may seek compensation for a broader range of losses than what is available in a workers’ comp case, including compensation for:
- The full value of your lost wages
- Projected losses in your future earning capacity
- The intangible cost of your pain and suffering
If your employer has no workers’ compensation coverage, you may be eligible to get money from the South Carolina Uninsured Employers’ Fund. The state’s General Assembly established this fund to protect injured workers whose employers fail to carry workers’ comp coverage as required by law.
The seasoned Summerville personal injury lawyers at Joye Law Firm have extensive experience with all types of construction accident cases. We can help you identify all possible sources of compensation available by law.
What a Construction Accident Lawyer in Summerville Must Prove in Your Case
When you file a third-party insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit after a construction site accident, your attorney must gather evidence to demonstrate the other party’s negligence to show the company is financially responsible for your losses.
To hold a negligent party accountable, a construction accident attorney must prove:
- The other party was responsible for protecting your safety
- The other party breached its duty by failing to keep the construction site safe
- The other party’s negligence directly contributed to the conditions that caused your construction site injury or illness
Who Is Liable For Your Summerville Construction Accident
Any of the following parties may be held liable for your injuries in a Summerville construction site accident case:
- The owner of the land where construction work takes place
- Any other party responsible for construction site safety or compliance
- Another at-fault party such as a reckless motorist that caused an accident
- An architect or engineer who designed an unsafe or impractical structure
- The manufacturer or distributor of a defective or dangerous product
How Joye Law Firm Can Help with Your Construction Injury Claim
The dedicated team at Joye Law Firm can provide the support you need after a construction site injury in Summerville by:
- Explaining your legal options in a free consultation
- Investigating the circumstances of the construction site accident to determine which parties may be liable
- Communicating with insurance adjusters, and corporate construction attorneys on your behalf
- Interviewing eyewitnesses and experts for testimony on your behalf
- Helping you medically manage your recovery
- Negotiating aggressively during settlement talks to maximize your compensation
- Representing you in court, if necessary
Contact a Summerville Construction Site Injury Lawyer Today
When you contact the experienced Summerville construction accident attorneys at Joye Law Firm, you will speak with a knowledgeable member of our legal team free of charge. We will be ready to discuss your situation in detail and help you evaluate your legal options. We can be reached by phone or online any time, so reach out to us today.
Joye Law Firm Summerville Office Location
1731 N Main St Suite A-1
Summerville, SC 29483
(854) 220-9905
