Common Construction Accidents
Exceptional Advice. Contact Trusted Philly Construction Accident Lawyer Richard Jaffe
Construction accidents in Philadelphia can result in serious injuries or even fatalities. And when these accidents happen, injury victims often cannot return to work for weeks or months or sometimes perhaps ever again.
Knowing what to do after a serious construction accident can be confusing. Even knowing what your rights are as an injured construction worker in Pennsylvania might not be clear. That's why it's critical that you contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible who understands the law and knows how to get results.
At the Law Offices of Richard A. Jaffe, LLC, we know what you're going through. That's because we've worked with countless construction accident victims in Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania. We know how the legal system works here and we want to work with you.
Types Of Construction Accidents
Construction accidents happen for many different reasons. And while every construction accident is unique, there are many similarities between accidents. Some of the most common construction accidents we handle at our law firm include:
- Falls From Heights
- Toxic Exposure
- Explosion and Burn Injuries
- Electrocution Accidents
- Nail Gun Injuries
- Heavy Equipment Accidents
- Trench Collapses
Whatever the circumstances surrounding your accident, don't try to tackle your case on your own. Remember, you got hurt simply doing your job. Now it's our turn. We want to work with you and help you make things rights. Contact the Law Offices of Richard A. Jaffe and discover what we can do for you. We offer a free case evaluation to all potential clients.
Construction workers often work in high places - on scaffolding, on roofs, on top of tall buildings and other potentially-dangerous places. But you don't need to fall from such a tall height to sustain a serious or fatal injury. Even falling from a ladder or loading dock can be dangerous, depending on the circumstances of your accident.
Back injuries, spinal cord injuries and head injuries (including traumatic brain injuries [TBI]) often occur due to falling from a height on a construction site. Sometimes, construction accidents are accidents. But in many cases, many people get hurt because someone did - or didn't do - something to protect the safety and well-being of people working at the construction site.
Common mistakes people make which result in construction accidents caused by falling from a height include:
- Improperly constructed scaffolding
- Lack of training for construction workers
- Absence of safety equipment
- Defective safety equipment
- Reckless or negligent behavior by co-workers
Health problems caused by exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace can have serious consequences. Depending on which chemicals you or a loved one comes in contact with, you might sustain injuries which require emergency medical treatment.
Sometimes, such injuries or illnesses are caused by a single incident at work, including hazardous chemicals that cause burn injuries. In other cases, workers suffer from serious health problems due to being exposed to hazardous chemicals for years, including asbestos, lead paint or exhaust fumes.
Construction sites should have washing stations installed in case workers are exposed to toxic substances. That way, workers exposed to hazardous chemicals or other harmful substances can remove them as quickly as possible. But even then, many workers still sustain serious, life-changing injuries - and they deserve fair compensation for those injuries.
Flammable or hazardous materials can easily explode or catch fire on construction sites, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities. In many cases, improperly stored hazardous chemicals or explosive materials can cause such injuries due to the volatile nature of many materials found on construction sites.
Other times, explosion accidents occur because of someone else working at the same construction site. If that person does not have the proper training - or the hazardous materials are mislabeled and no one knows just how dangerous they are - serious accidents can happen in an instant.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding your workplace injury, it's critical that you take strong legal action as soon as possible. Otherwise, you could miss out on your opportunity to receive the compensation you rightfully deserve for your burn injury.
Electrical equipment used on construction sites can be very powerful and use extremely high voltage. As a result, if workers do not use such equipment properly, they or someone else working at the same construction site can sustain a serious injury in an instant.
But even when construction workers know exactly what they're doing, electrocution accidents can still occur. That's because such equipment might be defective or a co-worker might behave recklessly, resulting in a serious workplace accident.
Serious injuries or fatalities caused by electrocution accidents at construction sites occur far more often than many people might realize. But that doesn't make such accidents any easier to deal with. If you or a loved one has been electrocuted while working at a construction site, we want to help you work through this difficult time in your lives. We're here for you when you need us most.
Nail guns can dramatically speed up work on construction sites. But these powerful tools can also be extremely dangerous. Construction workers often sustain serious injuries to their hands, arms and legs due to nails being shot into them by a nail gun.
Some nail gun accidents occur because the person using the equipment did not use the nail gun properly. In other cases, construction workers are hurt by someone else improperly using a nail gun. Or perhaps there was a defect with the nail gun itself, resulting in a serious accident.
Whatever the circumstances of your nail gun accident, attorney Richard A. Jaffe wants to meet with you. He can explain all the legal options available to you and help you decide what's the best course of action for your specific case. Your best interests always come first here.
Construction accidents involving bulldozers, backhoes, pay loaders and cement trucks are just some examples of heavy equipment accidents. Injuries caused by such accidents can often be severe, sometimes even fatal. That's why it's critical that you take strong legal action if you or a loved one was hurt or killed in a heavy equipment accident.
So why do heavy equipment accidents happen? Sometimes, it's because the person operating the equipment does not have the skills or training to do so. Other times, the heavy equipment operator isn't paying attention or is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In other cases, heavy equipment accidents occur due to defective parts, which were either part of the original equipment or installed later.
Such cases can be extremely complicated, especially if the equipment operator worked for a company other than your own. In such cases, you may have grounds for a third-party workplace accident. But you'll never know what your legal options are until you schedule a free case evaluation with our law firm. Remember, you were just doing your job. Now it's time for us to do our job - to fight for your rights and get you the compensation you rightfully deserve.