Construction is a difficult job. You are on your feet most of the day operating or working near dangerous machinery and manipulating heavy objects. The last thing you want to happen is to get injured on the job. Sadly, serious injuries can happen while doing construction work. In fact, five hundred fifty-four construction-related injuries occurred in 2022 in New York.
A construction injury can seriously impact your life, forcing you to deal with massive medical expenses, injuries that could prevent you from working, and substantial pain and suffering. Working with a lawyer can help you fight for the compensation you deserve after an accident.
Call our construction accident and injury lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 for a free case review.
Construction Accidents in Brookhaven, NY
Many different kinds of accidents can happen on a construction site. Many people are going back and forth to do various tasks on construction sites, and there is also a lot of heavy machinery and equipment present. Unfortunately, that means someone is almost bound to have an accident and get injured at some point. Most fatalities that our construction accident and injury lawyers can help with involve the so-called “fatal four” accidents on construction sites. These are falling, getting caught in something, electrocution, and being struck by an object. Even if you survive these accidents, the injuries sustained can be severe and life-altering.
Falling
It should be no surprise that falling from a great height can result in serious injury or death. Falls are one of the most common accidents to happen at a construction site. Construction workers are often hoisted up to great heights so that they can do their job. If construction workers, subcontractors, and construction companies do not follow proper safety procedures, severe injuries can happen.
Getting Caught on Equipment
Construction sites are dynamic environments. People and equipment are always moving. Unfortunately, this creates opportunities for equipment to be dropped, parts of buildings to collapse, and mistakes to be made.
Getting trapped under debris or getting a limb stuck in a piece of heavy machinery can easily cause serious injury or death. Adequate safety precautions can help to prevent these kinds of accidents.
Electrocution
Many construction projects have exposed wiring while work is being done. Exposure to high voltage can result in cardiac arrest, thermal burns, or severe muscle and tissue damage. In addition, the sudden shock of being electrocuted can cause someone to stagger and potentially bump into another dangerous item or lose their footing and fall.
Struck By an Object
Construction workers wear hard hats for a reason. Getting hit by a heavy object, even in a place other than the head, can be dangerous. A construction site provides many opportunities to get hit by heavy things, such as tools falling off high places, parts of scaffolding coming loose, or rigging snapping and landing on you.
There are safety procedures that are supposed to be followed like safety nets to catch objects falling from high places to mitigate the risk of getting struck by falling objects. However, these procedures are not always followed.
If you believe regulations were not followed and you were injured as a result, talk to a construction accident and injury lawyer.
Damages for a Construction Accident Lawsuit in Brookhaven, NY
Courts categorize damages primarily into economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Damages from a construction site injury can often go far beyond what you might expect.
Economic Damages
Economic damages have an ascertainable monetary value. Because the value of these damages is known, Worker’s Compensation or other insurance might cover them. However, Worker’s Compensation only covers a certain percentage of lost wages, so you will have to fight in court to get the compensation you need.
The cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation is a common example of economic damages awarded in a construction injury lawsuit. Lost future earning potential is also calculated into economic damages. Construction work is a physically demanding job, and you may not be able to do it anymore if your injuries are severe or debilitating. This could entitle you to compensation if your injuries prevent you from returning to work as you once did.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages cannot be determined through bills or your ability to return to work. Because these damages are generally abstract, there is no set way to determine how much they are worth. These damages cannot be claimed in a Workers’ Compensation insurance claim, so you will have to take your case to court to claim these damages.
Common examples of non-economic damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of companionship from a deceased person, and mental anguish.
For example, if you play baseball but were injured on the job and now cannot raise your arms above a certain height, you might not be able to play baseball anymore. You are no longer in the same place you were before the injury. Because the court cannot fix the ability to lift your arms, it will award non-economic damages instead.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are not meant to help the plaintiff but to punish the defendant. Courts rarely award punitive damages, as they are reserved for cases where the defendant acted in a particularly bad way. Punitive damages exist to deter repeat behavior from the defendant or similar behavior from other people or entities like the defendant.
In a construction context, punitive damages could be awarded if a construction company repeatedly ignored or violated universally recognized safety procedures. For example, construction companies must make sure that everyone operating heavy machinery is certified to do so. If a company decides to cut costs by hiring uncertified people to work the machines and someone is injured as a result, punitive damages might be appropriate.
Call Our Brookhaven, NY Construction Accident and Injury Lawyers Today to Review Your Case
Reach out to our construction accident and injury lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm to talk about your case for free at (718) 841-0083.