Experienced Indiana Construction Injury Lawyers
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that the construction industry has one of the highest accident rates in the United States, often with devastating consequences. Cooke Law Firm has extensive and specific experience representing workers and others injured at Indiana construction sites from:
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Injuries at construction sites are often serious and permanent, requiring long-term care and treatment. Our attorneys have particular experience representing Indiana construction workers and their families suffering from brain and spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputation injuries and wrongful death.
Common Causes Of Unsafe Construction Site Accidents
Construction sites are high-risk environments where even a minor mistake can result in serious harm. Many construction site accidents occur due to unsafe practices, inadequate training or insufficient safety measures. Some of the most common causes of unsafe construction site accidents include:
- Falls from heights: Workers often fall from ladders, scaffolds or roofs when proper fall protection is not in place.
- Falling objects: Tools, materials or debris can fall from elevated areas, striking workers below.
- Electrocution: Contact with exposed wiring, power lines or malfunctioning electrical equipment can lead to severe injuries.
- Machinery accidents: Cranes, forklifts and other heavy machinery cause many site injuries when used improperly or without maintenance.
- Unsafe working conditions: Poor lighting, cluttered work areas and failure to enforce safety regulations often contribute to site hazards.
These causes can lead to catastrophic injuries, lost wages and emotional distress. Working with a construction accident lawyer can help victims investigate the cause, determine liability and pursue compensation from negligent contractors or employers.
What Types Of Injuries Can Result From A Construction Site Accident?
When a construction accident occurs, the impact on a worker’s health can be devastating. The type and severity of injury often depend on how the accident happened and whether safety standards were followed.
Common injuries from construction site accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries: Caused by falls or being struck by objects, these can lead to long-term memory and cognitive issues
- Spinal cord injuries: A fall or heavy impact can result in partial or complete paralysis
- Broken bones and fractures: Often occur when a worker is pinned, crushed or falls from a height
- Burns: Resulting from explosions, electrical exposure or chemical contact
- Amputations: Severe machinery accidents can lead to permanent loss of limbs
- Hearing loss: Prolonged exposure to loud equipment or explosions can result in temporary or permanent hearing damage
These injuries often require extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation and time away from work. Our Lafayette construction injury attorney can help victims recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Lafayette Injury Attorneys Get Answers For Injured Workers
Our skilled Lafayette attorneys know how to investigate injuries at construction sites to determine whether there was a failure to follow safety measures, failure to warn workers of hazards, failure to maintain equipment properly or other circumstances that may have contributed to the injury.
We investigate all potentially liable parties, including employers, construction companies, property owners, equipment manufacturers, subcontractors and others, to obtain a full recovery for our client.
Indiana has one of the lowest levels of workers’ compensation payouts in the country, making compensation from negligent third parties even more critical to injured construction workers.
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Construction Accidents
If you are a worker who got injured on a construction site in Indiana, you probably have a lot of questions on your mind. Understanding how the legal process works can help protect your rights and your financial interests.
How do citations from the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) impact a civil claim?
IOSHA is the state agency that investigates workplace safety complaints and enforces safety standards in Indiana. If IOSHA looks into your Lafayette construction accident and issues citations for safety violations to a third-party contractor, those formal citations can serve as powerful evidence in a civil lawsuit. A citation may help show that the contractor failed to follow required safety rules, which can strengthen your case.
In some situations, a proven violation of an IOSHA regulation may support a legal argument called “negligence per se.” This legal doctrine essentially proves that the third party breached their legal duty of care by breaking a mandated safety rule for workers. While a citation does not automatically win a lawsuit, it can be a valuable piece of evidence when proving fault and showing that unsafe conditions contributed to the injury.
If I am partially at fault for the accident, can I still recover damages under Indiana law?
Yes, you can. However, it will depend on your level of fault. Indiana law allows third-party plaintiffs to recover damages if their fault is less than 50%. If you are partly responsible, the court will reduce your compensation by your share of the fault.
For example, if the award is $100,000, but the court determines you were 20% at fault, they will reduce your payout to $80,000. However, if you are 51% or more at fault for the accident, the law bars you from recovering damages from the third party.
Do the same laws apply to pedestrians or bystanders if an injury occurs near a construction zone?
No. Because pedestrians, passing motorists and bystanders are not employees, they are entirely exempt from the restrictions of the workers’ compensation system. If falling debris, collapsed scaffolding or negligent traffic routing near a Lafayette construction site injures a civilian, they can file a personal injury lawsuit against the general contractor, the property owner or the specific at-fault subcontractor to seek compensation for their damages.
Contact The Lafayette, Indiana, Personal Injury Lawyers At Cooke Law Firm
Find out how our experienced lawyers can help you. Contact us today at 765-340-2776 or send us an email online to arrange your free initial consultation. We represent accident and personal injury victims throughout Indiana, including Tippecanoe, White and Benton counties.