What to do after a construction accident – Detailed Guide

Construction work can sometimes be quite dangerous because the risks of injuries are significantly greater than in many other industries. No wonder, many people working in this industry sustain serious enough injuries that lead to failure to go to work. 

Unfortunately, it can be pretty hard to get compensation for your injuries. This is where you need to hire construction accident lawyers to fight for your rights. But before contacting an attorney, there are various things you need to do. This post explains what to do after a construction accident.

Seek medical attention

Perhaps, your priority when a construction accident happens should be to receive medical attention. This can be very important regardless of whether you think the injury is serious or not. In many cases, most of the serious injuries may not appear for hours or even days after you sustain them. 

Promptly treating the injuries is the crucial step in your recovery. You can get immediate medical attention evidence that can help you down the road if you want to file a personal injury lawsuit or a workers’ compensation claim. 

Notify your employer

Once you handle any urgent health concerns, it’s time to report the accident to the employer quickly. You see, most states have statutes that require employees to report an accident within a specific period. If your state doesn’t have a statute, it’s still a good idea to report the accident promptly.

This is because reporting the accident quickly can accelerate the workers’ compensation processing and prevents unnecessary delays. Besides, it can also make your compensation claim more valid to your employer, the court, and the insurance company.

However, when reporting the construction accident, make sure that the report should be in writing, and even ask for a copy. Try to be specific when recounting exactly what happened. A well-written report can prove to be invaluable in case a dispute arises later on. 

Consult with a lawyer

If you sustain injuries in a construction accident, you have two potential remedies. You need to have an experienced construction attorney to assist you to decide on the best option based on the specific set of situations.  

There is a workers’ compensation claim that is available almost in all the states. So workers’ compensation refers to a type of insurance that offers benefits to employees who get injured while working.

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But to qualify for workers’ compensation, you need to meet specific deadlines related to filing your claim. Make sure that you should speak to a lawyer quickly following the injury to avoid missing these deadlines. In most cases, you can receive workers’ compensation, but you can’t sue your co-worker or employer. 

Aside from workers’ compensation claims, there is also a personal injury claim which comes in handy if you’re injured by third parties or workers’ compensation doesn’t cover you. The common types of personal injury lawsuits are product liability lawsuits and negligence lawsuits.