When an injury takes place on a construction site, there are many reasons to hire an accident attorney who practices at a personal injury law firm. These lawyers – such as those at Clifford Law Offices – will help you understand what legal rights you have, how the legal process can help you seek fair compensation, and what the likelihood of success is for your claim.
An even more important reason to hire an attorney? The construction company, property owner, contracting/subcontracting company and all other parties that may be responsible for your injuries will send their legal teams into action immediately. If you do not do the same, you cannot hope to be on a level playing field when it comes time to seek compensation for your medical bills and other damages.
At Clifford Law Offices, our lawyers are unafraid to take on even the most massive legal teams hired by corporations and their insurance carriers, secure in our knowledge and experience in dealing with these types of complex tragedies. We have represented many people injured while doing construction work, including work on cranes and scaffolding. We also represent nonworkers who have been injured while at or near construction sites or who have been injured away from construction sites in accidents involving construction vehicles.
It is always a top priority for our attorneys to seek maximum compensation for our clients. Some of our construction accident litigation results include:
-
- $12 million recovery on behalf of a plaintiff who was killed as a result of a bunker collapse.
- $11.25 million recovery for a 37-year-old man who died as a result of a concrete slab falling from a building, while he was working. He is survived by his wife and three children.
- $6.8 million recovery for a 37-year-old woman who became a paraplegic due to a sustained vertebral fracture she suffered while touring a home that was under construction. She fell ten feet when the flooring in the house gave way.
- $6.2 million recovery for a union construction worker who sustained serious orthopedic injuries from a fall.
- $4.75 million recovery for a 42-year-old construction worker who suffered a comminuted, angulated, and displaced fracture of the proximal third of his tibia when a steel beam, on which he was walking, gave way due to improper weld.
- $4.5 million recovery for a 36-year-old man who suffered a closed head injury when a piece of terra cotta fell from the ceiling at his job site.
- $2.63 million recovery on behalf of a 57-year-old carpenter who suffered a spinal cord injury when he fell through a roof on which he was working on the South Side of Chicago.
- $2.25 million settlement on behalf of a construction laborer who experienced permanent back injuries when he was struck by a piece of equipment protruding from a passing truck on a roadway construction job site.
- $2 million recovery on behalf of a man who suffered fatal carbon monoxide poisoning while abrasive blasting.
- $2 million recovery on behalf of a construction worker who fell through an unsupported roof at Navy Pier project, fracturing pelvis and wrist.
See more of our construction accident litigation results here.
We Are Here to Answer Your Questions
Our clients ask us a wide range of questions in these cases, and we gladly give them honest answers and advice. Questions we are most frequently asked include:
-
-
- How will I pay my bills if I can’t work?
- Is the general contractor (GC), subcontractor, or property owner responsible for my medical bills?
- Does union membership affect my claim?
- If another worker caused my injury, what options do I have?
- What happens if defective construction tools or equipment caused my injuries?
- What can I do if I’ve been hurt by construction equipment?
- I was in an accident with a large construction vehicle – what can I do?
- If I’ve been hurt near a construction site by falling tools, building materials, or other objects, can I pursue a claim against the construction worker or construction company?
- I was walking near a construction site and was hurt due to an unmarked construction hazard – who is responsible?
-
For answers to the above-listed questions or any others, please contact us to arrange a consultation with a member of our construction accident team.
Who Is Liable for a Construction Accident?
Injuries at construction sites are often preventable if someone knows what to look for regarding common hazards. Construction site accident risks range from poorly trained employees to malfunctioning machinery, but most come down to one common factor: human error. When a construction site manager, product manufacturer, construction worker, driver, and/or other party makes a negligence-based mistake, injuries can occur.
The party legally responsible for your construction site injuries depends on who or what caused your accident. If a coworker dropped a tool from a scaffold and it caused a head injury, for example, your employer could be vicariously liable for employee actions. If you were a driver passing through a construction zone and work debris caused an accident, the person in charge of keeping the site safe could be liable. This may be a construction site manager, the company itself, or a property owner.
Determining fault and proving liability for your construction site accident may take help from an attorney. Hiring an attorney can make the claims process easier from beginning to end.
A lawyer can investigate the facts of your incident, review who was involved, and give you advice on how to proceed. Your lawyer can determine the correct defendant(s) and help you file your claim in Chicago.
Construction Cases at Clifford Law Offices
Clifford Law Offices has a long history of winning construction accident cases. A prominent example of our success in construction cases involved the scaffolding collapse at the John Hancock Building in Chicago. We represented injury victims and those who lost loved ones due to the collapse, and we ultimately secured a $75 million settlement for our clients.
We also obtained a $6.8 million settlement for a 37-year-old mother of two who fell through the Styrofoam flooring of a home under construction, which she had been invited by the builder to see.
In another case, Kevin Durkin, a partner at the firm, obtained a $2.95 million settlement for a construction worker who fell through an unsupported roof on a project at Chicago’s Navy Pier and fractured his pelvis and wrist.
Robert Walsh, also a partner at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a $2.67 million settlement on behalf of a 45-year-old plumber and father of three who fell six stories to his death at a Chicago construction site.
Click here to see some examples of the numerous construction site accident cases we have resolved in Chicago over the last three decades.
What to Do After a Construction Accident in Chicago
If you suffered an injury or illness from a fall, structural collapse, machinery incident, transportation accident, struck-by object, electrocution, asbestos exposure, or any other construction site accident hazard in Chicago, discuss your case with one of our attorneys. Call Clifford Law Offices at (312) 899-9090 as soon as possible following a construction accident. In the meantime, take these basic steps:
-
-
- Go to the hospital. Do not refuse medical care or assume you do not have any injuries. Get a professional checkup as quickly as you can; some injuries aren’t immediately obvious and need a doctor’s experience to diagnose.
- Report the accident. Call the construction site supervisor and report your accident, whether you are an employee or a passerby.
- File an insurance report. The insurance company of the at-fault party – whether that is a construction company or someone else – will be your first outlet for recovery. Make the claim early to qualify for benefits.
-
Next, call our law office for assistance with your personal injury or wrongful death claim. Seek financial recovery for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, punitive damages, and other types of compensation after a construction site injury.
Contact Us Today
Unfortunately, construction site accidents are common in Chicagoland, but site supervisors owe both their employees and the people who use the area a duty of care. If they are negligent in that duty and you are hurt, we hope to ensure no one else suffers as a result. Clifford Law Offices understands the unique elements involved in construction site accident lawsuits. Contact us to schedule your free consultation in Chicago.
