Have you been injured in a South Carolina construction accident? Has a loved one been killed on a construction job? You may be entitled to money for medical expenses, lost earnings, disability, vocational therapy and even pain and suffering.
Construction Accidents in South Carolina
South Carolina – with its growing neighborhoods, shipyards, military bases, bridge projects, Boeing facility and Upstate manufacturing plants – has numerous construction projects going on all the time.
Here are the top four construction hazards, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calls “The Fatal Four:”
- Falls
- Electrocution
- Being struck by an object
- Getting caught in or caught between something
One in 10 construction workers at these and other Palmetto State jobsites will be injured or killed this year, according to OSHA statistics.
Here are a few of the ways those accidents happen:
- A carpenter falls from scaffolding that is defective or improperly assembled.
- A roofer who was not equipped with a safety lanyard and harness falls to the ground.
- Workers suffer health problems after not being warned of the dangers of handling lead-based materials.
- A machine operator loses a hand because a saw blade was not properly guarded.
- A tile setter breaks his back in a plunge to a lower level because the contractor removed a safety rail.
- A welder slips and falls in a puddle of water because the building owner didn’t keep the floors clean.
- A carpenter is hurt when a defective nail gun misfires.
- Painters are not supplied with breathing masks or respiratory protection from inhaling toxic fumes.
- A drywall subcontractor suffers a broken leg in a fall from a ladder that was improperly anchored.
- A bricklayer suffers internal injuries when he is pinched between two walls that shifted.
- A forklift operator is killed when the vehicle tips over because it was overloaded.
- A pipe-fitter is badly burned after coming into contact with an uncovered electrical junction box.
- A cement contractor falls into an exposed hole dug for a building’s foundation.
- A carpet installer dies when a fire breaks out and exit doors are obstructed.
- Excavators are injured in a cave-in because they were not working in a trench box.
Construction Injuries and S.C. Workers’ Compensation
OSHA is the federal agency responsible for enforcing construction site safety. But despite a raft of regulations and the best efforts of inspectors, tragic accidents happen daily.
More than 1,100 construction workers are killed and more than 130,000 are injured during a typical year. The most likely victims: workers between 25 and 34 years old.
Common South Carolina construction site injuries include:
- Broken arms and legs
- Lost fingers, hands and toes
- Burn injuries
- Eye injuries
- Hearing loss
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Cuts and lacerations
- Neck, back and vertebrae damage
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Repetitive motion injuries
- Partial and total disability
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death
Regardless of whether an employer followed safety procedures, the employer may still be required to pay for work injuries. This is because an injured construction worker can make a workers’ compensation claim even if negligence was not a factor in the injury.
While South Carolina workers’ compensation benefits apply regardless of negligence, the benefits are more limited than what could be available in a standard personal injury lawsuit. Construction workers cannot sue their direct employer, but they may be able to file a lawsuit if there was a third party responsible for causing or contributing to their injuries.
For example, a worker on a construction site who suffers an injury may be able to sue if:
- A defective product caused the injury
- A person other than a direct employer, such as a project manager, engineer or architect, was responsible for causing the injury through his or her negligence
- An employee of another subcontractor or vendor working on the site caused the accident
- Another driver caused a car accident when a construction worker was in a work vehicle or a driver hit a construction worker on a worksite.
If a party other than the employer is responsible for the injury, a workers’ compensation claim combined with a lawsuit against the negligent third party is the best course of action. A construction site injury lawsuit could allow a worker to recover more compensation than a workers’ comp claim alone because it includes compensation for pain and suffering and other damages. In the event that the worker was killed, his or her family members could also recover wrongful death benefits that are much more comprehensive than workers’ compensation death benefits.
Joye Law Firm knows can evaluate the facts of a construction accident to determine (1) what legal remedies should be pursued, (2) which parties should be sued, and (3) how maximum financial benefits can be obtained.
Free Consultation with Our South Carolina Construction Accident Lawyers
If your career and personal life have been disrupted because of a construction site accident, you need a South Carolina personal injury lawyer on your side. Construction accident cases are often complex. The best way to find out more about your case is to discuss it with one of our construction accident attorneys at Joye Law Firm.
Call Joye Law Firm. Contact us at 877-936-9707 or use this online contact form for a free case review today.
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