The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) reports that four common construction accidents account for 60 percent of all workplace injuries: unintentional falls; getting struck by an object; electrocution; and getting stuck under or in-between something heavy, such as construction equipment or structural elements of an unfinished building. Floridians who suffer injuries at construction sites deserve compensation, no matter if they got hurt as a worker or as a visitor to a construction project. An experienced Florida construction accident injury attorney can help them obtain the money they need and deserve to recover their health and rebuild their lives. If injuries suffered on a Florida construction site turned your world upside-down, then contact the award-winning legal teams at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA online for a free consultation to learn about your legal rights to compensation.
About Our Florida Law Firms
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA are affiliated personal injury law firms with offices on both Florida coasts. We represent Floridians who have suffered physical, emotional, and financial harm due to accidents and incidents on construction sites throughout the Sunshine State. Over our years of practice, we have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients in a wide variety of personal injury matters. We cannot promise that every case we take will have a favorable outcome, but we can promise that our clients always have a lawyer on their side who has the skill, knowledge, and resources to hold even the biggest development companies and building contractors accountable when someone suffers harm on a Florida construction project.
Construction Accident Injuries That Lead to a Florida Workers' Comp or Personal Injury Claim
According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), Florida's private construction sector is the industry with the most injuries and fatalities each year. However, it's not only workers who suffer construction accidents. Passersby and those who visit construction sites are also at risk for injuries and fatalities. Construction accidents often lead to severe injuries requiring accident victims to take extended time away from their job. In some cases, returning to work is impossible because of a permanent injury. Severe injuries also create an economic burden for accident victims and their families. Disability payments tend to cover only a portion of a construction accident victim's lost income and expenses. Some examples of construction accident injuries for which we can often help clients recover substantial compensation include:
- Any severe cut or wound that leaves a permanent scar;
- Multiple broken bones, especially those that require reconstructive surgery;
- Crushed limbs or amputation of an arm, leg, hand, foot, finger, or toe;
- Head traumas and associated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs);
- Back injuries such as bulged discs and fractured vertebrae;
- Spinal cord injuries that can result in permanent paralysis in some or all of the body;
- Burns;
- Electrocution injuries;
- Disease or illness from exposure to hazardous chemicals or other substances; and
- Coma or permanent vegetative state (PVS).
On-the-Job Construction Accidents in Florida
If you suffered injuries in a construction accident while on-the-job, filing a workers' compensation claim is usually the first step in obtaining the compensation you need. Florida employers have a legal obligation to purchase workers' compensation insurance to protect workers against the costs of work-related injuries and illness. Receiving workers' comp benefits for medical expenses and lost wages related to a Florida construction accident does not depend on who bears the blame for an injury. Injured workers can file a claim regardless of who caused the construction accident. If the employer's workers comp provider approves the worker's claim, the benefits the worker can receive typically include medical expenses related to construction accident injuries and two-thirds of the worker's average weekly wages for the period when the work is disabled and cannot work. Workers' compensation insurance provides an important financial backstop for Florida workers who get hurt on-the-job. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we have years of experience helping workers apply-for and obtain the maximum level of benefits available to them under Florida law. Important as it is, however, workers' comp often fails to provide enough support to keep families from struggling to pay bills and for basic necessities. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced Florida construction accident injury attorney from Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, workers can often seek additional compensation for their injuries and losses. Workers' compensation exists, in part, to protect employers from lawsuits from their employees for work-related injuries and illnesses. By purchasing workers' comp insurance, employers get immunity from most lawsuits by their employees. That immunity may not apply, however, if:
- Your employer is uninsured. Under Florida law, any employer in the construction industry that has one or more employees must purchase workers' compensation insurance.
- Your employer retaliates against you for claiming workers' comp benefits. Florida law and federal law prohibits employers from terminating, threatening to terminate, and trying to influence an injured worker's right to file a worker's compensation claim and receive benefits.
- Your employer and the workers' comp insurance company wrongfully dispute your claim. Florida law lays out several duties for insurance companies that provide workers' compensation coverage. They must respond to your claim within 14 days, and send you correspondence if they need more time to investigate your injuries. Additionally, once your claim is accepted, the insurance company has 45 days to take action concerning any medical bills. Some insurance carriers will take longer than necessary to process your claim and pay benefits.
In addition, Florida construction workers may also have the right to sue third parties (someone other than their employers or co-workers) for the harm done by a work-related accident. For example, construction workers may have the right to sue a construction equipment manufacturer for selling defective equipment that harms them on a job site. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our personal injury lawyers leave no stone unturned in looking for ways to secure money for injured construction workers, and we have the skill and resources to hold even the biggest developers and companies accountable for harm suffered by workers on a construction site.
Non-Work-Related Injuries in Florida Construction Accidents
Victims of Florida construction accidents other than construction workers may also seek compensation for their injuries and losses. Every case is different, of course, but with the help of an experienced attorney from Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA those victims can often take legal action seeking money damages from:
Property Owners/ Landowners/Developers
Under Florida law, landowners have a legal duty to maintain a safe environment for visitors to their premises. This duty has special importance on construction sites, which feature numerous hazards to visitors. Property owners can face legal liability for construction accidents resulting from their failure to live up to that duty, such as when they fail to warn visitors of known dangers, or fail to secure construction sites to prevent access by children.
Equipment/Machinery/Tool Manufacturers
Construction workers use a wide array of heavy equipment, machinery, and tools to complete their projects. Defective equipment can cause dangerous, sometimes fatal construction accidents. Regardless of whether someone is a worker or a visitor, when a defective piece of machinery or defective tool causes a construction accident, manufacturers may face legal liability for the harm their faulty products caused. In some cases, distributors or retailers might also share legal liability for injuries and losses caused by defective construction equipment.
Chemical and Materials Companies
Sometimes construction workers need to use hazardous chemicals or materials in connection with their jobs. Companies who manufacture toxic substances and materials that cause burns or an explosion that leads to burns and other injuries can face legal and financial accountability to victims. Companies that distribute or sell dangerous chemicals or materials sometimes also share liability in these types of construction accidents.
Drivers
Construction sites are messy, chaotic scenes. Drivers of vehicles on those sites must stay on high alert for workers and other vehicles, to ensure everyone's safety. Accidents happen when drivers do not observe strict safety protocols. Road construction accidents also commonly involve unsafe drivers who fail to drive safely through construction zones, leading to collisions with machinery, road crew workers, and construction vehicles. Truck drivers and passenger vehicle drivers can face legal liability for causing these accidents. These are just a few examples of the parties who may bear legal and financial responsibility for the injuries and losses inflicted on victims by a Florida construction accident. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our attorneys investigate the details of Florida construction accidents to make sure we identify every party who should pay damages to our injured clients.
Seeking Compensation for Construction Accident Injuries
Victims of Florida construction accidents often have the right to file legal actions seeking compensation for their injuries. Every construction accident case we handle at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA is different, of course, but in general, our clients can often seek compensation for:
- Medical treatment costs including ambulance and emergency response teams, hospitalization, doctor visits, follow-up care, x-rays, prescriptions, and travel to and from the doctor;
- Estimated future medical expenses when a construction accident leads to a severe injury or condition that requires a victim to receive ongoing medical treatment and/or permanent care;
- Costs for rehabilitation including physical therapy, occupational therapy, mental health services, speech and language therapy, and any other specialized treatment that helps construction accident victims regain lost body function and learn how to physically or emotionally cope with any permanent injuries;
- Costs for assistive devices such as prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, and canes;
- Lost wages and benefits for missing work as a result of construction accident injuries, hospitalization, and recovery;
- Estimated future lost wages and benefits when a construction accident leads to a debilitating injury that prevents an accident victim from returning to work or seeking future employment;
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering resulting from construction accident injuries;
- Loss of consortium with a spouse or domestic partner;
- Reduced quality of life from severe construction accident injuries;
- Scarring and disfigurement when construction accident injuries lead to amputation or other permanent scars; and
- Punitive damages in the event a construction accident results from someone's acts of willful harm or gross negligence.
Families of victims of fatal Florida construction accident injuries may also have the right to seek compensation for their tragic loss. Florida law allows eligible surviving family members to apply for death benefits under the workers' compensation program if their family member was killed on-the-job. Survivors may also have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Compensation in a wrongful death suit includes many of the damages listed above, as well as the cost of funeral and burial, and compensation for damage to family relationships, such as loss of companionship or loss of parental guidance.
Injured in a Florida Construction Accident? Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA/Dolman Law Group Today.
Florida construction accidents often cause some of the most severe personal injuries we handle at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. Victims of those horrific accidents deserve compensation to help them pay their expenses and return to their lives. The experienced Orlando construction accident lawyers at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA have the skill, experience, and resources to investigate even the most complicated construction accidents, and to pursue compensation on behalf of victims against even the most well-funded and powerful developers, property owners, and equipment manufacturers. If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a Florida construction accident, do not hesitate to seek the legal help you need to recover the money you deserve. Contact us today online or at 833-552-7274 for a free consultation to learn about your legal rights and how our team may help. With offices across both Florida coasts, we can easily serve you regardless of where in the state you live. We take personal injury cases, including those involving construction accidents, on a contingency fee basis. Our clients usually do not have to pay us any money upfront. Instead, we only receive a legal fee out of money we recover for our clients. If our clients do not get paid, then neither do we.
Client Testimonial
“AMAZING and understanding attorneys! Did great on my case and I highly recommend Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA for anyone that has been injured in an accident!" Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Koralis R. Jan 2020 Read more reviews on Google!