You were always prepared to handle the physical demands of your construction job. But after a serious injury on the job site, you are now having difficulty obtaining workers’ compensation benefits. As you struggle to recover, you are experiencing financial stress and mounting medical bills. Our attorneys at Joye Law Firm are ready to help.
To find out how we can help you, call us at 877-936-9707 or fill out our online contact form for a free and confidential claim evaluation.
Some of the most serious injury cases we handle involve construction workers who have suffered severe injuries on the job. Our Charleston workers’ compensation lawyers represent injured construction workers in many types of workers’ compensation claims in Charleston and throughout South Carolina. Each construction accident has its own set of contributing factors. In some cases, an injured worker may receive workers’ comp benefits and have a right to bring a civil claim against another vendor working on the same job site whose carelessness caused the accident.
Our injury lawyers at Joye Law Firm are proud of our record of getting results for construction workers injured in Charleston. While we cannot guarantee a certain outcome in a case, the list of workers’ compensation settlements and awards we have obtained shows that our strong efforts on behalf of injured workers have repeatedly produced positive results for our clients. You can be assured that our dedicated construction injury attorneys will make every effort to secure a successful outcome for you.
Call us at (888) 324-3100 to speak with a Charleston construction accident workers’ compensation lawyer or fill out our online claim contact form for a free initial consultation.
Many of the worker compensation claims we handle involve accidents at construction sites. Construction sites may have dozens of workers from multiple companies operating heavy equipment and working beside each other. One construction company working on a job site can create unsafe conditions that lead to injuries to employees of another company working on the same site. If someone disregards safety protocols or tries to take short cut, others may be injured as a result.
Falls from Ladders and Scaffolds—A fall from a ladder, scaffold or elevated platform may cause multiple injuries including broken bones, head injuries, neck injuries and back injuries. If a scaffolding was erected by another vendor on site and collapses, those injured in the fall may seek workers’ compensation benefits and have a claim against the at-fault vendor. Falls from heights are more likely to result in severe injuries and are the leading cause of fatal construction injuries. Some injuries occur because workers were not provided proper fall protection gear.
Heavy Equipment Accidents—Construction accidents often involve operators of heavy equipment such as cranes, forklifts, front end loaders and large trucks accidentally striking, running over or backing over construction workers. The accidents can cause serious or fatal crush injuries. Many heavy equipment accidents occur at highway and bridge construction sites. In 2017, the Joye Law Firm obtained a $6 million jury verdict for a South Carolina Department of Transportation inspector who suffered severe injuries after a work truck struck and crushed him at a road construction site near the Charleston International Airport.
Trench Collapses— Construction workers working in trenches are at risk of injury or death if the trench is not properly shored up to prevent collapse. Some trench cave-ins are caused by the operation of heavy equipment too close to the trench. Federal work safety regulations require the placement of ladders, steps or other safe means of exit in trenches four feet or deeper.
Falling Objects—A construction worker may suffer an injury from being struck by a falling object such as a tool dropped by another worker working on an elevated surface above. Even if wearing a hardhat, a worker may suffer a traumatic brain injury or spinal injury from the impact of a falling object or dropped load.
Nail Guns—Pneumatic nail guns are commonly used on residential construction sites. A construction worker may be seriously injured if hit by a nail from a nail gun due to careless handling, accidental discharge, ricochet or double firing.
Electrocution—Workers may be electrocuted by accidental contact with high voltage powerlines overhead or by hitting buried power lines when digging. Electrocution is one of the leading causes of construction accidents. Construction workers also can suffer burns and falls from heights from contact with power lines and energized sources.
Common Injuries on Construction Sites in South Carolina
Construction sites are dangerous and there are many ways a worker can be seriously injured.
Head Injuries—Construction workers suffer more traumatic brain injuries than workers in any other type of workplace, according to research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. More than half of traumatic brain injuries at construction sites are caused by falls from ladders, scaffolds, roofs and elevated surfaces.
Crush Injuries —Workers who get caught between objects or compressed by a piece of equipment or a heavy object may sustain crush injuries. Crush injuries can cause the loss of use of a limb and result in permanent disabilities.
Back Injuries—Back injuries including crushed vertebrae and spinal cord injuriesmay be caused by a fall, a worker getting caught between objects or a heavy vehicle accident. These can be devastating injuries and leave a worker unable to work again.
Loss of Limbs—The loss of an arm or leg is considered a catastrophic injury. You may be unable to return to your former job. If you have suffered the loss of a limb as a result of a construction accident, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits including payments for a permanent disability.
Repetitive Motion Injuries—A construction worker may gradually develop a repetitive stress injury with debilitating pain from operating a power pool such as a jack hammer or other vibrating power tools. To qualify for benefits, an injured worker will need to present medical evidence from a respected physician detailing the causal relationship of the worker’s job to the repetitive motion injury. Our workers’ compensation attorneys can help arrange for you to receive a medical evaluation and a second opinion from a respected doctor about the severity of your injury.
Your employer’s workers’ compensation should pay for your medical treatment after a construction site injury and provide payments to replace some of your wages if you cannot work while recovering from the accident. But it’s not uncommon for disputes to arise about the cause of an injury, a worker’s eligibility for benefits, the amount of a settlement or future benefits that a worker is entitled to receive.
Let our experienced Charleston workplace injury attorneys review your injury claim and explain your options for pursuing compensation.
Construction Accident Statistics
2,100 cases of injuries and illnesses among construction workers in South Carolina in 2017
1,400 construction-related injuries and illnesses requiring time off work or job transfers
Specialty trades contractors reported the highest number of construction work-related injuries and illness
503 safety inspections and investigations conducted by South Carolina OSHA in fiscal year 2018
531 work safety violations issued at South Carolina workplaces including 394 serious violations
If you are injured in a construction accident in Charleston, you are required by South Carolina law to inform your employer of your work-related injury. You should report your injury to your employer as soon as possible, and seek medical treatment. You are required to use the doctor selected by your employer or the employer’s insurance administrator for your medical care to be covered by workers’ compensation.
Workers’ compensation generally provides the following types of benefits:
Medical treatment
Payments for lost income
Compensation for permanent disability or disfigurement.
As a general rule, employers in South Carolina who have four or more employees full-time or part-time are required to provide workers’ compensation insurance.
If your employer is challenging your right to collect workers’ compensation benefits, then you should talk over the situation with a knowledgeable Charleston workers’ compensation attorney. You may still qualify for workers’ compensation benefits in certain circumstances, even if your employer has tried to classify you as an independent contractor. If the employer sets your work schedule, you are most likely entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if you are injured on the job. You can bet that your employer or the workers’ compensation insurance administrator will have lawyers defending their interests. You should have experienced legal representation as well.
