Liability for your construction injury could spread
If you have worked in construction for a number of years, you are likely no stranger to injuries.
To date, those injuries may have been minor, but now you suffered a blow to your head due to a fall off a ladder. Is more than one company liable for your injury?
About construction injuries
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, one in 10 construction workers suffers injuries every year. Falls are a major cause of construction fatalities, and fall protection is the OHSA standard that construction employers most often violate. In fact, OSHA publishes information on this subject that it requires employers to develop and put in place a fall protection plan for employees.
Setting the scene
Say you are a roofing specialist and an employee of a company that builds various models of homes in new communities. Your head injury occurred when you fell from a ladder. A rung on the ladder snapped under your weight and you fell about 15 feet to the ground.
Seeking financial compensation
Following the injury, you seek immediate medical attention and report the injury to your supervisor in order to initiate a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. Your doctor confirms that you have a mild traumatic brain injury that will require a period of rehabilitation.
You have a right to expect coverage for current and future medical expenses, lost wages and more through the workers’ compensation insurance coverage. However, as a construction worker injured on the job, you may qualify for even more compensation.
Third-party claims
The ladder you were using when you fell belonged to a subcontracting company, which may be partially at fault for your injury. Do not hesitate to explore all your legal options. It takes many companies to build the homes in a new community, and your fall and subsequent injury require a thorough investigation, which may result in liability for the subcontractor and further financial compensation for you.