Types of Construction Injuries and When To Call Work Comp Lawyer

Construction is one of the most hazardous working environments in the U.S. Every year, despite tons of safety protocols in place, tens of thousands of people suffer workplace injuries and many of them die. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fatal injuries at construction sites amounted to a total of nearly 1,000 deaths in 2020.

This number has remained consistent for the past 5 years, signaling a need to overhaul the construction industry and put even more stringent safety measures in place and higher penalties to employers who fail to fulfill those requirements.

Till that happens, though, we need to do the best we can with what we have.

And that means using every resource at your disposal to make sure any construction injury you are suffering from is properly compensated, both in terms of comp benefits as well as employment security. A competent construction injury lawyer in Philadelphia can help you on both accounts to secure a fair compensation according to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act.

Here is a brief overview of some of the most construction injuries that workers face while on the job.

1. Fall Injuries

Over the years, a lot of work has been done to improve construction worker safety. Still, accidents happen. And the leading type of accidents that workers face at construction sites include falls. Fall injuries consist of falling from any height, such as roofs, ladders, and scaffolding, as well as trips and slips. Falling into holes in the floor and walls is also included in this category.

According to BLS, fall injuries account for nearly 33% of all construction-related hazards.

A fall injury can cause damage to the brain, face, spine, ribs, and legs, etc. Medical costs can instantly pile up and time away from work can cost you lost wages.

An experienced workers comp lawyer can counter all that. They can fight on your behalf to get you the best medical help if your employer-appointed doctor is not checking all your boxes. A competent attorney can file your work injury claim with no-holds-barred to get you the most benefits that you are owed.

2. Struck-by Injuries

While a lot of fall injuries can be caused by simple accidents – through no fault of anyone – injuries that happen due to falling objects or impact with machinery or equipment are highly preventable. If you have been hit by a machine or falling debris, for example, chances are it has happened due to somebody’s negligence. Improperly placed equipment, insufficient markings around a vulnerable area, and lack of workers’ training could be some of the causes of such accidents.

Since the onus of responsibility in such cases usually always falls on employers, reporting these injuries to your accident at work lawyer in Reading, PA, and filing comp claim in time is incredibly important, so those who are responsible can be held accountable. Struck-by injuries need proper investigation, may cause extensive medical treatment and can be tricky to prove. An irresponsible employer can claim that it was all your fault.

A construction accident lawyer in Philadelphia who has worked extensively with PA Workers Comp cases can help you navigate through these waters expertly. They can protect your rights and even file further lawsuits on your behalf to claim other types of benefits that you may be entitled to.

3. Electrocution

Construction work overlaps with a lot of electric work, too. There are all those exposed wires and other electric equipment that you have to avoid as you work and move around. Your employer and those handling the electric work have to make sure that all their equipment, material, and processes are completely secure, unexposed to other workers, and proper safety instructions have been communicated to everyone on site.

Using licensed professionals and following safety guidelines can greatly reduce the chances of electrocution at construction-related jobs. Still, these injuries happen often enough that OSHA has included electrocution in its Top Four Construction Hazards list. These injuries not only cause burns and can be life-altering but can also cause cardiac arrests as well as nerve damage. The psychological trauma of being a burn victim is also there that can further aggravate matters.

As this is a complicated injury, professional legal in the form of a trained workers comp lawyer in Philly will be needed at every step of the way to simplify matters for you.

4. Caught In-between

When a construction worker suffers an injury by getting stuck between two objects, OSHA classifies it as ‘caught in-between’ injuries. It includes everything from getting stuck between a wall/door and some falling object, getting a body part pulled into a machine/equipment, and when a heavy object collapses on you trapping you under its weight.

As you can imagine, these injuries are scary and demand immediate medical attention. Like others in this list, caught in-between is also one of the leading causes of the most construction-related injuries and fatalities in the United States.

To represent your case fully in front of your employer (and the court, if the need arises), hire a worker’s comp lawyer in Philly today and file your claim.

When to Call a Work Comp Lawyer?

There is a statute of limitation in Pennsylvania when it comes to reporting a workplace injury. If your injury requires medical attention, you must formally inform your employer within 120 days of the incident.

Furthermore, under this statute, you can only get medical treatment for your construction injury from a medical practitioner approved by your employer.

Therefore, the best time to call a job injury lawyer in Reading, PA or Philadelphia, PA, is immediately after informing your employer, if not before. Why?

• Because reporting is time-sensitive. If you don’t call a lawyer immediately, your employer/insurance provider may pressurize you to sign documents that you should not be signing.
• A lawyer can get you the medical treatment you need. If you suspect your employer and their prescribed doctors are downplaying your injuries, a proficient job injury lawyer in Reading, PA, can fight for your medical rights.
• Even if your work injury case is straightforward and your employer is not denying your claim, calling a lawyer can help you take care of the grueling paperwork that this process includes.

Should You Call a Work Comp Lawyer?

Even though construction-related injuries claim hundreds of lives every year and cause intensive monetary damages in the form of lost wages, missing work days, and medical costs, workers feel hesitant to report their job site injuries. Some common reasons include:

• A point of view that these injuries are a part of the job
• A wish to receive safety-incentive prizes from the employer
• A desire to not be seen as weak or a complainer
• The fear of not being hired again by the same employer
• The daunting process of filing a comp claim with all that paperwork

As construction accident lawyers in Philadelphia who have been in the field for several years, we can tell you that not reporting your construction injury has far worse repercussions than just being seen as weak by your coworkers. In fact, reporting these injuries to a workers’ compensation lawyer, and fighting for your right, is a sign of strength and not weakness.

If you decide to not report these injuries to an accident at work lawyer in Reading, PA, not only do you lose your wages, time off from work, and suffer medical costs, the employer also does not feel any pressure to correct their course and make their workplaces safer for other employees.

In many cases, your employer may let you go if your injuries are taking a long time to heal, and if you haven’t reported your case, they are under no obligation to pay you any compensation or reserve your job till you come back.

However, if you decide to file your case and report the incident to an expert construction accident lawyer in PA, they can use their expertise and knowledge to provide you with every legal protection to safeguard your job, wages, physical health, and psychological well-being. By holding your employer accountable and pointing out their mistakes, you also contribute to creating safer construction sites for everyone involved.

John Smith is a workers compensation attorney and job injury lawyer in Pennsylvania. He is part of one of PA's best workers comp attorney settlement firm.