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What To Do if You Get Hurt While on a Construction Site

Working in construction can be an invigorating and satisfying occupation when you successfully complete tasks and projects. However, this work is not without its safety issues and precautions. The harsh reality is that you are at high risk for serious personal injury while on the job. In fact, passersby are also at risk of injury if construction occurs in places of high population density. This is what to do if you get hurt while on a construction site.

Seek Medical Attention

The first and most important step when dealing with any personal injury is to seek medical attention. Since construction sites feature heavy-duty equipment and immense loads, construction-related injuries are often quite severe. Address any and all incident-related injuries and obtain the medical records for those treatments. Your physical well-being is of the utmost importance and should be your first priority in the event of an accident. It is easiest to pursue legal action once you receive medical attention.

If you do not believe your construction injury warrants legal action, reconsider the situation. The most common construction injuries are the fault of improper procedures, faulty structures, or uninspected equipment—all things that you were not responsible to track. If scaffolding buckled beneath you, a tool shocked and burned your skin, or debris fell on you from above, it is not your fault. At the very least, you should consult with a lawyer and determine your legal options.

Collect Important Information

Every lawsuit requires a foundation of evidence to prove what happened and how it correlates to current circumstances. You must show the correct documentation and testimonies to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that operations at the construction site caused your injury and that your injury is legitimate.

Medical Records

Collecting information begins with your records. Every medical visit related to construction injuries must document the specific care you received. Obtain the records from your doctors and pharmacists to show your tests, prescriptions, and examinations. You must also pull together all your insurance information and any correspondence with your agent regarding your injury. These medical records show the specific injuries treated and will corroborate your claim. Also, find all the medical bills related to your injury. These will come in handy when determining settlements and compensation.

Common Causes

Know the common causes of construction site injury and find out which ones relate to your situation. Regulations require all construction sites to have warning signage where appropriate and fortified barricades between the site and the outside world. If no signs were present and no barriers were clear, you may have a case on your hands.

Beyond notification-related problems, common construction injury causes relate to the equipment itself. Heavy equipment requires consistent and thorough inspections to stay operational. If equipment and tools are uninspected or unsecured, there is a high risk of harmful falling debris.

Premises Information

It is critical to gather information about the premises where the injury occurred. The site itself will tell a lot about the project, management, and owners of the property. Depending on the terms of the construction company’s contract, there may be several people to hold accountable for your injury. You should find copies of the contracts, lease agreements, and insurances of all liable parties connected to the site. You may not have the know-how to find these documents, so wait for legal aid to put it all together.

Witness Testimony

Several people likely witnessed what happened to you at the construction site. These people are another integral part of your story, and they can testify firsthand about what they saw. Even just one extra person can help corroborate your account and detail how your injury occurred, especially since you likely have a hazy memory after the incident. It will be difficult to track down everyone who saw what happened if you do not know them personally, but try to locate these people if possible.

Media Evidence

If you have any opportunity, take photos of the construction site, your injury, and the debris that hit you. Though the time has passed for you to do this at the time of the accident, you can still document as much as you can in pictures. Furthermore, many construction site injuries occur in well-populated areas with plenty of stores and shops that have security cameras. This footage could prove useful in defending your claim, so check out the scene and see if any are present. You may need legal aid to obtain this footage, but it is another piece of evidence to keep in the back of your mind.

Find Legal Representation

The best course of action after you receive initial medical treatment is to find legal representation. A lawyer gives you the freedom to focus on healing while they attend to the case. You have peace of mind that someone is fighting for your cause and will find the right compensation for your injury. Research the best practices to represent you and find someone you can trust. Ask the lawyers about their track record and what kind of cases they deal with. You do not want a lawyer who is unskilled in personal injury law or who does not aggressively pursue the best settlements for their clients.

A lawyer provides reassurance for you as the defendant, but they also have the skills and time to dig deep into your case. They can collect evidence, record your testimony, contact insurance agencies, file court documents, contact expert witnesses, and altogether organize the case. With the right legal representation, you can win a case with ease. Regardless of whether you work on the construction site or are a passerby, if you are hurt onsite, you should reach out to a lawyer.

It is important to know what to do if you get hurt while on a construction site and act fast. With the right timing and informed decisions, you can easily find the compensation you deserve. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer in Boise and connect with our team at Rossman Law Group today.

What To Do if You Get Hurt While on a Construction Site