The construction and manufacturing sectors support our nation and our state, literally and metaphorically. Unfortunately, construction workers – as well as people who visit or pass through construction sites – are often subject to profound, diverse risks. If you got hurt while at a construction site or while working on an industrial job – or someone you care about got injured or killed at a site – you may be able to leverage Kentucky personal injury laws to collect compensation for your time off of work, pain and suffering, medical, surgical and rehab bills, and more. First, you need help from a Louisville, KY construction accident lawyer.
Many Ways to Get Hurt on A Construction Site
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 150,000 injuries occur at construction sites each year. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that around 1,200 construction workers die annually on the job – thus making the profession one of the most dangerous common jobs in the United States. These statistics would surprise no one who has actually worked construction: the risks on site are plentiful, variable, and dynamic. Here are just some of the types of injuries that can occur (and do occur with some frequency) on sites:
- Slip and fall accidents. A worker can slip and fall off a girder or elevated piece of machinery; she can step through a poorly cordoned off “no go” zone and twist her back; or simply slip on wet tar or oil and hit her head against a concrete barrier.
- Burns and electrocution injuries. Soldering guns, shorted out electrical apparati, hot tar or other building materials, live wires strewn around the site, and malfunctioning equipment can all cause burns.
- Exposure to toxic substances and chemicals. Workers can get sick from inhaling dirt, debris, asbestos, molds, and gases. Aerosolized organics can burn the lungs, mucous membranes, and eyes. Damage from exposure to toxic compounds can manifest instantly, or it can show up only years after the construction job is finished.
- Accidents involving machinery and failed structures/systems. Floor collapses, roof collapses, “run away” construction equipment, careless, negligent, or DUI induced driving accidents, and dozens of other scary scenarios can precipitate injuries.
Assessing the Cause of the Damage and Getting Good Help Fast
The multiple, dynamic variables at play on typical construction sites likely cause significant confusion and contribute to the high accident/injury rates. Since risk factors constantly change as projects proceed, workers, support staff, and supervisors can struggle to coordinate their activities to ensure best safety practices. Moreover, although some accidents have clear cause and effect – e.g. someone falls off a girder and gets a concussion – at other times, the relationship between an accidents and an injury is far harder to parse. For instance, say you inhale toxic tar at a roofing job. 20 years later come down with a rare bronchial cancer. You might be able to build a case that the tar inhalation caused or exacerbated the cancer. But it’s a lot harder to prove the cause and effect.
All of these dynamic and complicated factors mean that injured victims serve themselves well by getting confident, experienced, and results proven legal help early on in the process. Louisville, KY construction accident lawyer Tad Thomas served as an Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Kentucky and has helped personal injury victims in the state recover millions of dollars. He is the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for professional responsibility and trial advocacy. Connect with him today for a free consultation at (502) 473-6540.
Who We Are
Reviews
