Construction workers face a wide array of risks each day on job sites — especially when proper safety protocol is not followed. Many of these hazards can lead to accidents that cause serious injury or even fatality. While the risks faced by construction workers depend upon their specific tasks, some construction accident injuries are more common than others. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the top four construction accident injuries are those arising from falls, electrocution, falling objects, and caught-in-between accidents.
Injuries Caused by Falls
Many construction workers do their jobs from elevated heights, whether they use ladders, scaffolding, staging, or another device. If equipment is defective or proper fall protection isn’t provided, falls can occur that cause traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, fractures, back injuries, paralysis, neck injuries, and permanent disability. Falls can also happen when a worker slips off a roof or falls through structurally unsound flooring.
Electrical Injuries
It’s not only electricians who are at risk of electrocution on job sites. Electrical accidents that cause injury can arise in many different ways in the workplace. For instance, they may happen due to any of the following:
- Defective equipment and machinery
- Faulty or exposed wires
- Poor lighting
- Improperly grounded wires
- Fallen power lines
Electrical injuries can be both internal and external. A worker may suffer serious burns that lead to scarring and disfigurement, internal organ injuries, brain damage, blindness, or even broken bones if they are caused to fall during the incident. Depending on the voltage of the current, electrocution may also lead to fatality.
Injuries Caused by Falling, Flying, Swinging, or Rolling Objects
Another common construction accident that workers should be aware of involves falling objects. Not only can workers fall from heights, but they can also be struck by falling materials, flying debris, swinging objects, unsecured equipment, and tools. Although falling objects can strike any part of the body, they typically hit the head, leading to traumatic brain injury, concussion, or permanent brain damage. Depending upon the force of impact, falling object injuries can also cause paralysis, musculoskeletal injuries, broken bones, amputations, disfigurement, neck injuries, and fatality.
Caught-in-Between Injuries
Caught-in-between accidents occur when construction workers are caught in between or compressed by objects, machinery, or equipment. Workers can also get caught, pinched, or struck by collapsing structures and heavy objects, such as in trenching accidents. Common causes of caught-in-between accidents can include the following:
- Lack of training
- Failure to follow safety guidelines
- Machine guarding issues
- Excavation cave-ins
- Equipment malfunctions
- Inadequate supervision
- Unprotected trenches
- Collapses during demolition
No matter how the accident occurred, the compression caused by caught-in-between injuries can lead to amputation of limbs, ruptured organs, spinal cord injury, nerve damage, traumatic brain injury, permanent disfigurement, fracture, and fatality.
Recovering Your Damages for Construction Accident Injuries
Importantly, if you were injured in a construction accident, you might be entitled to pursue monetary recovery beyond Worker’s Compensation. In the event a third party on the job site should be held liable for the accident, you may be eligible to file a personal injury action to recover the economic and non-economic damages you incurred. Economic damages can include your monetary losses, such as your unreimbursed medical expenses, lost wages, and out-of-pocket costs. Non-economic damages are meant to compensate for the physical pain and emotional suffering you experienced in connection with your injuries.
Contact an Experienced New York Personal Injury Attorney
If you were injured in a construction accident caused by a third party’s negligence, it’s essential to have a personal injury attorney by your side who can fight to obtain the maximum compensation you deserve. Due to our knowledge and experience, The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown, LLP regularly obtains substantial settlements and jury verdicts for victims who have been injured in construction accidents. Located in Manhattan, our firm has been handling personal injury cases throughout New York City since 1937. Call to schedule a free consultation at (212) 425-1999 today.