Grand Rapids Construction Accident Attorney

Construction workers face some of the most dangerous conditions in any industry, resulting in frequent accidents and often life-threatening on-the-job injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured while working at a construction site, we recommend that you seek legal representation as soon as possible.

I would like you to know that I was very happy with the choice that I made in retaining your company... I was completely satisfied from start to end.

– D. Livings

The Grand Rapids construction accident lawyers at Jay Trucks & Associates understand the financial, physical and emotional hardships injury victims and their family members endure following a serious work injury. Our firm has decades of legal experience, recovering millions in compensation for our clients. This includes a $415,000 recovered for a worker who suffered a severe left knee injury in a construction accident, a $171,800 recovery for a carpenter that suffered a back injury and a $155,000 recovery for a cement finisher that suffered a shoulder injury.

Learn more about your rights during a free consultation. No risk or obligations involved. We offer our services on a contingency fee basis, so you do not pay us anything unless we are successful in recovering compensation for you.

Am I Eligible to File a Case?

It is in your best interest to consult with an experienced lawyer to discuss your construction site injury and the potential legal options available to you. Our legal team is well-versed in federal and state laws affecting these types of cases and are prepared to help determine if you are eligible to take legal action.

When you meet with us in a free consultation, we need to consider multiple to assess whether you may have a case, including:

• The location where the construction accident occurred
• The condition of the construction site accident
• The type of equipment that was involved
• How the equipment was being used when the accident happened
• Who had control over the site and equipment
• Whether the injured party was an employee or bystander

What is My Case Worth?

You may be eligible to pursue various forms of compensation for your construction site injury, if you have a valid case. There are several legal avenues an attorney from our firm may be able to help you with. The type of claim that may apply will depend on your particular situation, but could include:

Workers' Compensation Claim

Most employees in the state of Michigan are required to carry workers' compensation insurance. This form of insurance helps to cover an injured worker's reasonable and necessary medical bills and a portion of lost wages from being unable to work because of a partial or total disability. In a workers' compensation claim, our attorneys only need to prove that your injuries are work-related; it is not necessary to establish negligence in this type of claim.

Personal Injury Claim

If your employer carries workers' compensation insurance, you will be unable to sue him or her for damages in a work-related construction accident. However, if you are injured by a third party, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against that party, and our attorneys will then have to prove that your injuries were the result of negligence.

Negligence requires establishing that the third party owed you a duty of care to prevent you from harm, the third party breached this duty of care by failing to act as a reasonable person would have under similar circumstances, and that the breach of duty of care directly led to your injuries and caused you to suffer real damages. Damages could include medical bills, loss of income and even tangible losses, such as emotional distress or pain and suffering.

Wrongful Death Claim

When a worker is killed in a construction accident, the personal representative of the deceased worker's estate may be able to file a wrongful death claim on his or her behalf against the party responsible. In these claims, surviving family members may be able to recover damages such as medical bills and funeral and burial expenses.

Liability for a Construction Accident

Determining liability can be difficult because more than one party could be held liable for injuries in a construction accident. These potential parties and their legal duties include:

• Construction site owners – If an owner knew or should have known about a potentially dangerous condition on the work site, he or she can be held legally liable for any resulting injuries.
• Contractors – General, prime and subcontractors are obligated to warn workers of dangers on a construction site and are responsible for ensuring that work is performed in a safe manner.
• Engineers and architects – These individuals have varying levels of responsibility for construction projects and could be held liable if site inspections are not in compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Construction site managers – It is the construction managers' legal duty to properly hire and train employees and make sure that they comply with safety and health standards.
• Equipment manufacturers – A manufacturer can be held legally liable if a worker's injury was the result of a poorly designed or defective piece of equipment or machinery.

Should you have a case, a Grand Rapids construction accident attorney from our firm is prepared to fully investigate what happened and assess whether multiple parties could be liable. We are committed to pursuing all potential sources of compensation for your injuries.

About Construction Industry Safety Regulations

The construction industry is regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) at the federal level and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) at the state level.

The OSHA sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards. The agency also has certain safety requirements related to the leading dangers at construction sites, such as:

• Falls
• Electrical
• Motor vehicle safety/highway work zones
• Stairways and ladders
• Scaffolding
• Trenching and excavation

The MIOSHA administers and enforces workplace safety and health standards in all private and public sector workplaces. The agency offers a fall prevention initiative as well as an excavation and trenching initiative.

How to Report an Workplace Injury

If you suffer an on-the-job injury, you should report it to your employer as soon as possible. Michigan requires workplace injuries to be reported to an employer within 90 days or your claim may be denied.

It is also important that you seek immediate medical attention to get the care you need and create a medical record that will link your injuries to the construction accident. Doing so can be beneficial in providing supportive evidence when filing a workers' compensation or personal injury claim.

Work Injury – $284,000 Recovery
For a 57 year old male that suffered a crush injury to his left hand.

Although you can rely on a lawyer from our firm to guide you throughout the legal process, there are specific things you can do to protect your claim and build a strong case. This includes gathering photographic evidence of the accident scene, your visible injuries, machinery or equipment, hazards and any other conditions that may have caused or contributed to you suffering harm.

For any present witnesses, be sure to get their contact information and a statement of what they saw, if possible. Your attorney can contact them at a later date to verify details.

Keeping a journal of your pain and suffering and how your injuries have affected your life everyday could prove to be invaluable when trying to pursue compensation for your damages.

Can I Be Treated by My Regular Doctor?

Michigan workers' compensation laws do allow you to see your regular doctor but there is a catch: your employer gets to choose your doctor for the first 28 days following the start of your medical care. The only exception to this is if your employer has private insurance instead.

Once those 28 days have passed, you can change doctors if you wish, but you must notify your employer of the doctor you have chosen.

What to Do if My Employer Disputes My Injury?

An employer may dispute a claim for many reasons. For instance, when filing a workers' compensation claim, he or she may dispute whether you are eligible for benefits. They may allege one or more of the following:

• You missed the deadline to file a claim
• You were intoxicated at the time of the injury
• You were fighting with a coworker so the injury is not work-related
• You were injured doing something unrelated to your job

An employee may even say that you had a pre-existing condition to try to disqualify your new injury. This is why you need a qualified Grand Rapids construction accident lawyer by your side every step of the process.

Common Construction Site Accidents

Some common types of construction accidents include:

• Falls from heights – This includes scaffolding, ladder and roofing accidents and can result in fatalities.
• Slip and falls – An uneven surface, loose materials or a wet floor can cause a slip and fall accident and result in broken bones, fractures, sprains and other injuries.
• Falling objects or debris – Workers can be struck by tools, beams, building materials and even debris and result in head trauma, such as a concussion or a traumatic brain injury.
• Repetitive stress injuries – The repetitive nature of certain construction work can result in injuries to the back, wrist, ankle or joints.
• Gas leaks, fires and explosions – Leaking pipes, chemical spills, carbon monoxide and other hazards can cause a gas leak, fire or explosion resulting in serious and often irreversible harm.
• Electrocutions – Electrical equipment including wires, wiring and lighting can increase the risk of an electrocution, causing workers to suffer severe burn injuries.
• Trench collapses – When a trench collapses and a worker becomes trapped inside and unable to get out on his or her own, it can be devastating.
• Machinery accidents – When heavy machinery malfunctions, such as a forklift, crane or bulldozer, the injuries can be fatal.
• Caught in-between objects – A worker, or his or her limb, can get caught by a piece of equipment or crushed by debris resulting in an amputation.
• Struck-by accidents – Workers can be struck by a motor vehicle on the construction site or by a driver speeding past the site.

Contact a Grand Rapids Construction Accident Lawyer

If you have been hurt or a loved one has been killed in a construction-related accident, there are several legal options to consider. We recommend consulting a Grand Rapids construction accident lawyer at Jay Trucks & Associates to determine if you may be eligible for compensation.

Our legal team has helped many Michigan residents recover millions in compensation for their injuries. Our consultations are completely free of charge with no risk or obligation to take legal action. We only collect payment for our services if we help you recover compensation for your claim.