Bucks County Scaffolding Collapse Attorney

Jobs that use scaffolding typically involve some kind of construction or building-related tasks, like painting, masonry work, carpentry, or general construction.  When using scaffolding, you should always follow safety rules, but so should your employer or whoever set up the scaffolding.  When mistakes happen, people can be seriously hurt.

Depending on your employment status, you are likely covered by a Workers’ Compensation policy that will pay for your injuries regardless of how the scaffolding accident happened.  This can help painters, construction workers, and other employees get compensation for the medical bills, lost wages, and permanent injuries if the accident was work-related.

Call (267) 651-7945 for help from the Certified Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Cardamone Law.

Who is Responsible for Scaffolding Accidents in Bucks County?

OSHA and state safety agencies hand down many safety rules about how scaffolding needs to be erected and what kinds of safety checks need to be performed before letting workers climb up.  These rules are there to keep people safe, and when mistakes happen, people get hurt.  Making sure that you get compensation from the right parties is important when considering a claim for your injury.

Our scaffolding collapse lawyers focus on holding employers responsible for Workers’ Compensation benefits after a work-related scaffolding collapse.  In these cases, the question of who actually caused the accident is not as important, given that your employer is legally responsible for paying you for any work-related injuries, regardless of cause.

Most commonly, the person whose mistakes caused your injuries will be an employee or supervisor at work.  If they were not properly trained in setting up or using scaffolding, but they were the ones designated by your employer to set up or check the scaffolding for safety, that is a huge oversight.  Similarly, your supervisor or another worker might have just been lazy or ineffective in their work, leaving you to reap the consequences.

In many work injury cases involving scaffolding collapses or falls from scaffolding, the injured worker is actually the one responsible for their own injuries.  This does not make a difference in Workers’ Compensation cases; as long as the injury was accidental, you can still get benefits for an accident you caused yourself.

Ultimately, other parties outside of your work might share responsibility, such as the manufacturers of the scaffolding equipment, property owners, or outside contractors.  Even when they are responsible, our attorneys can still fight to get you Workers’ Compensation benefits paid by your employer and their Workers’ Comp carrier on the grounds that your injury was work-related.

Workers Covered Under Workers’ Comp for Scaffolding Collapses

The Workers’ Compensation Act covers all employees in Pennsylvania and requires employers to carry Workers’ Comp insurance that will pay for your medical care, 2/3 of your lost wages, and any qualifying permanent injuries (including lost function, amputation, lost vision, serious facial scars, or lost hearing).  However, the construction industry is often filled with contractors, which might call into question whether a worker qualifies as an employee or not.

Generally, you are considered an employee – and then covered under your employer’s Workers’ Comp coverage – if you meet the qualifications of working under someone else’s guidance and direction.  If they tell you when to come to work, where to go, and what to do once you are there, you likely qualify as an “employee.”

Many people rely on their payment forms to determine whether they are an employer with a W-2 or a contractor with a 1099.  This is one factor you can look at, but it is not the sole defining factor in determining someone’s status.

An independent contractor, on the other hand, is someone who works for themselves and does a job pursuant to a contract.  This often covers painters, carpenters, masons, tilers, electricians, and other trades workers, but working a trade is not enough to show you are a contractor.  Many of these workers do indeed meet the definition of employees, or they are hired as employees by under general contractors.

Because these professions are often so confusing in their classification of workers – and because employers often misclassify workers to avoid having to cover their Workers’ Comp and other benefits – it is vital to check with a lawyer about the facts of your case and your employment status to see if you qualify for Workers’ Comp after a scaffolding collapse accident.

Common Scaffolding Collapse Injuries Our Lawyers Can Help With

No matter what kind of injury you sustained in a scaffolding collapse at work, you should speak with our lawyers for help.  While the following are some of the most common injuries we see, many other injuries can also qualify you for Workers’ Comp benefits after a scaffolding accident.

Broken Bones

Scaffolding collapses can crush you underneath materials or even leave you to fall a long distance.  This could easily lead to broken legs, arms, wrists, ankles, collarbones, or ribs.  Serious falls like this can even lead to skull fractures, hip fractures, or spinal fractures.  Depending on the location and severity of your fracture, you could be looking at surgery and months of recovery before you can return to work.

Paralysis

Serious falls that cause damage to the spinal cord can result in paralysis below the point of injury.  If you fell and suffered a neck injury or back injury that left you with pain, numbness, pins-and-needles sensations, or partial or total paralysis, our lawyers can help you seek compensation for your disability.

Head Injuries

From skull fractures to traumatic brain injuries, head injuries are often incredibly serious injuries.  While a mild concussion might allow you to return to work in a few days, a more serious head injury could leave you with post-concussion syndrome, traumatic brain injury symptoms, or even life-long disabilities.

Call Our Scaffolding Collapse Lawyers in Bucks County Today

Call Cardamone Law’s scaffolding collapse attorneys at (267) 651-7945 today for a free case review.