JACKSONVILLE CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT LAWYER

If you have been injured in a construction accident, the following legal options may be available to you:

Workers’ Compensation: Employers in the construction industry in Florida are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Under workers’ compensation, your employer is responsible for providing medical treatment to injured construction workers regardless of who was at fault for the accident.

Generally, the employer’s insurance carrier must provide you with compensation for hospital bills, doctor’s visits, physical therapy, and prescription drugs, as well as mileage reimbursement for travel to and from necessary medical treatments. If your employer or its insurance company challenges your workers’ compensation claim, your attorney may prepare an appeal on your behalf. Through the appeals process, you have the right to a hearing before a judge. At the hearing, your construction accident attorney may present medical records and expert testimony regarding your medical condition.

Personal Injury Lawsuit: Unlike a workers’ compensation claim, which does not require proof that the employer was at fault, a personal injury lawsuit will require the victim to demonstrate that the accident was caused at least in part by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional act of a third party. Through a personal injury lawsuit, you may be able to seek damages against:

• A manufacturer of defective construction equipment or machinery
• A property owner who failed to provide a safe jobsite
• A prime contractor, architectural firm, engineer, or site manager whose negligence contributed to the accident

Wrongful Death: If the construction accident was fatal, the family members of the deceased may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit. The Florida Wrongful Death Act specifies which family members are eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit and the types of damages that are available.

Evaluate Your Legal Options: A Jacksonville construction accident attorney will evaluate your legal options to determine the best possible course of action. In doing so, your attorney may work with construction industry experts to determine if any third parties may be held liable for your injuries.

Prepare a Workers’ Compensation Claim: If you are a construction worker who has been injured at a jobsite, your attorney will take all necessary steps so that you are eligible to file a claim for workers’ compensation. Our Jacksonville attorneys will contact your employer to make sure that the accident is properly reported while you concentrate on recovering from your injuries. Your attorney can also complete workers’ compensation forms and questionnaires on your behalf.

Collect and Evaluate Necessary Medical Evidence: In the aftermath of the accident, your attorney will collect the relevant medical records that may be needed to prove the extent of your injuries. Your attorney may also work with a medical expert to deduce how much the injuries set you back from resuming normal life. If a lawsuit is filed, this medical expert may offer testimony regarding your medical condition and your inability to return to work. Your construction accident attorney may also work with economic and financial experts to determine the value of lost income caused by the construction accident.

Prevent Employer Retaliation: In Florida, it is against the law for an employer to retaliate against an employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim. If your employer retaliates against you in any way (or threatens to retaliate against you) for seeking workers’ compensation benefits, your Jacksonville attorney may be able to take legal action against your employer.

Damages recovered through a construction accident lawsuit can help ease the financial burden caused by costly medical bills and lost wages. A construction accident attorney can help you determine how much your claim is worth. The following are among the damages available in a construction accident lawsuit:

Past and Future Medical Expenses: A construction accident lawsuit can help a victim recover payment for hospitalization, doctor’s visits, physical therapy, prescription drugs and medical devices. In addition, if the construction accident caused the victim to suffer a severe disability, the victim can seek compensation for the cost of entrance ramps and other accommodations to his or her home.

Loss of Income and Future Earning Potential: If the construction accident causes you to miss work, you may be able to seek damages that provide compensation for lost wages and earnings. In cases where the construction accident impairs you ability to return to work, you may be able to recover damages for your reduced earning capacity.

Pain and Suffering: Pain and suffering damages are intended to compensate a construction accident victim for the non-economic injuries that are caused by an accident, such as mental anguish and physical pain.

Punitive Damages: A victim of a construction accident lawsuit may be able to recover punitive damages when the accident was caused by a construction company’s reckless conduct or intentional actions. Punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer and discourage other construction companies from engaging in similar conduct.

Our Jacksonville construction accident attorneys have experience handling claims involving the following types of accidents:

• Crane accidents
• Defective equipment
• Scaffold accidents
• Burns, electrical injuries, and electrocution
• Exposure to toxic chemicals
• Harness accidents
• Inadequate ventilation
• Accidents caused by insufficient training
• Slip and falls
• Wall and trench collapses
• Negligently operated heavy equipment or machinery

To learn more about how our Jacksonville construction accident attorneys may be able to help, please fill out our free case review form today.