Murrieta Construction Accident Lawyer

Our lovely town of Murrieta is expanding on a daily basis. You are likely to encounter numerous construction projects underway constantly. While this amount of growth is necessary and desired in our city, it also increases the possibility for injury to construction workers as well as bystanders and passersby. After all, the construction industry does have one of the highest rates of injury and death in the country.

“The Fatal Four”

According to figures from OSHA, in 2013 alone, over 4,400 workers in the United States were killed on the job, with 856 being attributed to construction accidents. Nearly 4 percent of all construction workers across the country have suffered severe injuries requiring them to lose time from work or have job restrictions or transfers. A mind-blowing figure of one out of every five worker fatalities was in construction.

OSHA has labeled the “fatal four” leading causes of deaths on construction sites as falls, being struck by an object, electrocution or being caught or stuck in between two objects.

The Problem With Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ Compensation only pays a small percentage of your regular wages, an amount that is typically not sufficient to support a family. This mediocre sum is all that is offered to compensate a construction injury victim for a possible lifetime of disability and loss of work. An experienced construction accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Brent. A. Duque will advocate on your behalf to ensure that you receive the medical care and monetary compensation you are entitled to.

Third Party Liability

Depending on the details surrounding the accident, a construction worker who is injured on the job site might be eligible to recover further compensation while also receiving benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act. Let’s say an electrician working for ABC Electrical Contractors was on a ladder working. Signs and warnings were posted in the electrician’s work area, but the ladder was hit by a van driven by XYZ Plumbing Contractors when the driver was distracted by his phone. He never saw the warnings, the ladder or the electrician. As a result of the fall, the electrician suffers a permanent injury.

Because XYZ is a separate and independent business entity, California law permits the electrician to bring a personal injury lawsuit against XYZ and its driver at the same time he pursues his workers’ compensation claim. That’s called third party liability. Damages in the third party liability personal injury lawsuit aren’t limited like those in a workers’ compensation claim. While seeking damages in the lawsuit, the injured worker can also collect workers’ compensation benefits for purposes of paying medical bills and keeping their household and family going.

Others Get Injured Too

While it is logical to assume that construction workers are at greater risk of injury due to increased exposure at a construction site, they are not the only ones who might get injured or killed in a construction accident. Others who might be injured include motorists, pedestrians or others just going about their daily activities. A pedestrian or bystander could be injured by a falling tool or piece of construction material. A motorist using all necessary due care and caution around the site could be injured by a truck or by a heavy equipment operator. Even though these people are independent of anybody working on the construction project, they are still permitted to file a personal injury lawsuit against any companies and employees on the site that they believe were responsible for their injuries. If you have been wrongly involved and injured, we invite you to contact us as soon as you can about this.

At the Law Offices of Brent A. Duque, we maintain a staff of a highly professional, knowledgeable, aggressive and successful construction site accident attorneys who represent injured people through our offices that stretch across Southern California. Time limitations apply to any injury claim you might have, so for purposes of investigating a possible case and possibly preserving evidence, it’s best for you to contact us immediately after an accident.

Contact our Riverside County Personal Injury Attorney at 1-877-241-9554 to learn more about your legal options. A free consultation is just a phone call away. You can even use our online contact form, and we’ll reply to you quickly.