Spokane is a city with a rich history and some great architecture, but the push to stay modern keeps construction crew busy seven days a week. Working those long hours to exhaustion in a construction site full of potential danger can leave construction workers at constant risk.
EC&M, a workplace safety group, found that the construction industry makes up around 8% of the U.S. workforce but accounts for 44% of occupational fatalities. That’s the deadliest percentage of any industrial occupation.
Threats on the Job Site
Construction workers know they work around countless hazards every day. They can be injured by faulty equipment and vehicles. They may work with dangerous or faulty tools. They could work around exposed electrical lines or toxic hazards. Workers are often in an elevated workspace and have to worry about scaffolding and support structures giving way.
The dangers can come from any angle. An accident can easily land a worker in the hospital facing a long recovery. That worker may wonder who will take responsibility for the bills and lost wages in the aftermath.
Common Injuries on the Job Site
In 2018, Emergency Rooms saw around 195,000 visits due to construction injuries, that’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The types of injuries are just as varied as the numerous dangers present on a construction site. A few of the most common injuries suffered are here:
- Head Injury
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Broken Bones
- Knee and Ankle Injury
- Eye injury
- Cuts and Lacerations
- Limb Loss
- Burns
- Repetitive Motion Injuries
- Toxic chemical exposure
- Heatstroke
Compensation Available to Workers
The construction site owner and anyone else with a stake in the project owes it to their workers to provide a reasonably safe job site. If they are found at fault, state law provides compensation for the injured person. A worker can be awarded financial compensation for many of the losses and hardships suffered during recovery:
- Medical Bills
- Rehab Treatment/Equipment
- Travel
- Lost Time from Work (Including the expected future lost time)
- Permanent Disability/Disfigurement
- Pain and Mental Anguish
- Loss of Consortium (Being without a spouse, partner, family member, etc.)
Construction Injuries and Third-Party Fault
In some cases, the accident is determined to be the fault of someone other than the construction company, then the worker might also be entitled to compensation from that third party. This could be the manufacturer of the equipment, the equipment maintenance or repair company, or any third party that has a part in selling, maintaining, and using the equipment.
If you get compensation from a third party, you might have to return some funds you may have gotten from worker’s compensation. An experienced attorney can help you in fashioning a settlement that reduces the amount you have to pay back according to state law.
Contact a Spokane Construction Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in a construction accident, you’ll need to save your strength for your recovery and making sure your family is secure. You could be unable to return to work for the foreseeable future due to an accident that wasn’t your fault. Allow experienced attorneys to deal with insurance agents and lawyers for you to make sure you get covered for all medical bills and financial losses.
Established in Spokane in 1948, Crary & Domanico, P.S. is committed to providing our clients with the absolute highest quality legal representation. If our Construction Accident Lawyers represent you for your accident case, you have our assurance that we will use our absolute best efforts to win your case. Contact us after any accident resulting in a serious injury for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation. We will only offer you advice which is in your best interest.
