Steps to Take When Injured on a Construction Site

Katie Hewatt
August 8, 2012

(US law and generally) While the construction industry has undergone a major shift in safety precautions and regulations over the past century, the unfortunate fact is that accidents still happen at construction sites each year. If you currently work in construction, or if you or a loved one have recently suffered from a construction accident, here are some steps that should be taken in order to remedy the situation in the event of an injury:

1. Protect Your Health

If you’re injured as a result of a construction accident, you need to protect your health before you do anything else. This means that you need to make sure that you are out of harm’s way and that you seek out medical attention immediately. Even if you are told by a supervisor to get back to work, you need to ensure that your short- and long-term health will be protected, so never give into pressure to continue working when you can’t. According to our construction accident attorneys New York has seen many cases where an employer has been negligent, resulting in an injury, and the employer has tried to intimidate the employee into continuing to work, even while injured. This is done in an attempt to hide the fact that the employee has been harmed, and may lead to further and more severe injuries, as well as giving the appearance that the injuries were not that severe.

2. Document Everything

Whether your accident involved a serious injury or a minor injury, it’s important for you to document every aspect of the experience. This may mean writing down notes shortly after the accident, or it may mean contacting your employer or any medical personnel or facilities who treated you to obtain a record of your injuries. This documentation may become an essential part of receiving compensation for your injuries in the future if you need to involve a construction accident attorney to help with your case. If you are able to safely do so, you may also wish to take pictures, video recordings or audio recordings of the accident site and any involved parties.

3. Contact a Legal Professional

Once you have been treated for your injuries, you should then contact a personal injury attorney, even if you haven’t had a chance to gather documentation pertaining to the accident. A personal injury attorney will listen to you as you explain the circumstances of your accident and the extent of your injuries, and then they will be able to offer you options for seeking compensation. If you’re hesitant about contacting an attorney because you’re worried that it may affect your job, you need to remember that you have been the victim of someone else’s negligence, and it’s not fair that you are now facing medical bills and possible lost wages from work as a result.

Finally, don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by your employer’s attorney or attorneys. Far too often, individuals who have been injured due to construction accidents face high-pressure tactics from their employer’s attorneys, and this can then lead to these same injured workers giving up on seeking compensation as a result. Instead, allow your personal injury attorney to handle everything for you, including contact between yourself, your employer and your employer’s attorney. Always work with a lawyer that specializes in the location where the accident occurred.

Katie Hewatt is a legal researcher and contributing author for Perecman PLLC, a construction accident attorneys New York-based firm with over thirty years of experience with construction accident cases. The lawyers at Perecman will help you get the compensation you deserve, including lost wages, pain & suffering compensation, and medical bills.