Dover Construction Worker Injury Attorneys

Workers’ Compensation Claims for Construction Workers

If you work in the construction industry, then you already know how dangerous day-to-day work can be. You might also know that if you are employed by a construction company or firm, then you should have workers’ compensation coverage provided by that employer under New Hampshire state law. The trouble can begin when you try to file a claim, though, and your employer or their insurer does not want to take it seriously.

Wyskiel, Boc, Tillinghast & Bolduc, P.A. in Dover is here to help construction workers statewide seek full and fair workers’ compensation benefits after an on-the-job accident. Thanks to our extensive legal experience, we can assist you with work injury cases that involve third-party liability, too. The bottom line is that if someone owes you compensation after you were hurt at work, we know how to get it.

Call (603) 742-5222 or contact our firm onlinenow for more information.

Common Injuries on Construction Sites

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal administration that records, tracks, and reports on workplace accidents and injuries. Each year, it notes that the construction industry is among the most dangerous industries in the country, if not the most dangerous of them all.

According to OSHA, four of the worst and most common construction site accidents are:

• Falls from height: Construction sites usually have more verticality than other workplaces. That is to say, there are usually places on the jobsite where a worker will be below another worker or another part of the jobsite. For example, in many construction sites, there are high scaffoldings, cranes, and multistory structures. Falls from such heights are extremely dangerous and can cause a fatality.
• Struck-by object accidents: Hundreds of construction workers are severely injured each year due to being struck by a falling object or a moving object, such as a construction vehicle. Injuries in these sorts of accidents can include broken bones, head injuries, amputations, and more, all requiring emergency medical attention.
• Caught-in/between accidents: When a construction worker is fully or partially caught inside or in between two pieces of moving equipment, it is called a caught-in/between accident. A common example of these accidents is a worker’s arm or hand being caught inside a piece of industrial machinery.
• Electrical exposure accidents: Only certified electricians should work with electrical sources and conduits on a construction site. Electrical exposure accidents tend to happen when an untrained worker is instructed to work near or around electrical sources, resulting in electrical injuries or fatal electrocutions.

Who Gets Workers’ Compensation?

Most employees in New Hampshire must be covered by workers’ compensation insurance provided by their employers. If you are an employee by classification, then you should have workers’ comp benefits available to you.

However, independent contractors usually do not get workers’ comp provided by an employer. If you are an independent contractor by classification, then you could be in a difficult situation to make a recovery. Although, independent contractors can buy private workers’ compensation policies from insurers. Let us know if you made such a purchase, so we can see what benefits your insurer should give to you.

Can You File a Work Injury Claim, Too?

After a construction accident, you could be left with the troubling aftermath of both pain and financial hardships. The workers’ compensation benefits you seek might not feel like enough to make up for what you have been through. Will you have an option to pursue additional damages in another claim?

Third-party injury claims after construction accidents might be justified if:

• You have no workers’ comp insurance: As mentioned, independent contractors who work on construction sites often do not have workers’ compensation insurance coverage unless they purchased it themselves. If you can’t get workers’ comp and your on-the-job accident was not your fault, you might be able to file an injury claim against your employer.
• You were injured by a third party: Even if you have workers’ compensation, you might be able to seek damages in a separate injury claim if you were hurt by a third party who was not employed by your employer. For example, if you were working on a roadside construction site and a motorist hit you while ignoring stop signs, then you could likely file for workers’ comp and file against that driver’s insurance policy.

Importantly, you cannot get compensation for the same exact damage more than once. In other words, if your medical bills are fully covered by your workers’ compensation policy, then you cannot demand medical cost damages from another party in a separate injury claim. You cannot “double-dip” to get more compensation than you are owed.

Here When You Need a Workers’ Comp Lawyer

Construction-related workers’ compensation claims are not easy to file or follow. But they are if you have a highly experienced team of Dover construction injury lawyers on your side. Please call (603) 742-5222 today and tell us what happened to you. During your initial consultation, we can determine if you should pursue compensation through a workers’ comp claim, an injury claim, or both!