Allentown Construction Injury Lawyer
Construction accidents in Pennsylvania are unfortunately common. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), private construction sector had the highest number of fatalities in Pennsylvania, including ill-fated falls, slips, and trips during the construction work.
Our attorneys fight for injured construction workers, seeking to get them the coverage they need under their employer’s Workers’ Compensation. However, employers and Workers’ Comp insurance carriers are often reluctant to approve claims and pay out what could be months or years of benefits. When that happens, our lawyers can step in, fight denials, negotiate settlements, and seek to get your benefits paid.
For a free case evaluation with our Certified Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Specialists, contact Cardamone Law by dialing (267) 651-7945.
Have You Suffered A Construction-Related Work Injury?
Construction is one of the two major occupational sectors in the United States that account for nearly half of all fatal injuries at work(47.4 percent). Almost 1 in 5 deaths among U.S. workers take place in the construction industry. Statistics for non-fatal injuries in the industrial sector aren’t any less scary.
Falls are the most common type of work comp claims that our construction injury lawyers work on. The incident rate for falls, trips, and slips was higher among construction workers in 2020 than for any other workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Even more concerning, more than a quarter of all construction-related work injuries go unreported. Do not let your construction injury become a part of this statistic. Reach out to our expert workers’ compensation lawyers in Allentown, PA, and protect your life and livelihood.
Types of Construction Accidents and Injuries
As a top-rated construction injury law firm in Pennsylvania, we are routinely exposed to a wide range of construction site injuries. Some of the most common injuries in construction include:
- Fall from heights
- Scaffolding accidents
- Ladder accidents
- Forklift accidents
- Fire and related hazards resulting in burn injuries
- Trench collapses
- Electrocution and electrical injuries
- Injuries due to defective machinery
- Getting stuck in, between, or under machinery and equipment
- And several others.
It’s important to know that construction-related work injuries, even if they seem small at first, can often cause long-term damage. Therefore, immediate reporting of the incident and seeking instant medical help is crucial. If you haven’t been able to report your accident in time and wondering what your legal options are, speak to our expert construction injury attorneys today.
Forklift Accidents in Allentown
Pennsylvania construction injury statistics attribute a significant chunk of all construction-related injuries to forklift accidents. According to OSHA, forklift accidents account for up to 62,000 injuries every year nationwide. They are also one of the most severe accidents on a construction site and can cause substantial damage, resulting in spinal injuries, brain injuries, and more.
Regardless of who was at fault for your forklift accident in Pennsylvania, the state’s workers’ compensation law guarantees you financial compensation for your work-related injuries. You can file for benefits such as medical expenses, lost earnings, specific injury benefits, and more.
What Does Workers’ Comp Pay for a Construction Accident in Allentown?
When you get hurt at work, you can often file a claim with your employer for Workers’ Compensation to cover two main areas of damages: medical benefits and wage-loss benefits. In some cases, benefits are paid differently to cover amputations and similar losses or loss of function injuries. In the case that a loved one died in a work accident, death benefits might also be available.
Medical Costs
Medical costs should be covered for all expenses from a construction injury, from emergency treatment to rehabilitation and physical therapy. This should include the cost of covering treatment for your physical injuries as well as for mental health issues related to the injury. Medical benefits are also supposed to cover the cost of medical devices, medication, scans, tests, and more.
With many construction accidents, there is an acute injury that needs to be treated immediately, as well as a recovery period. This might not involve much additional follow-up care, but that care should also be covered.
With others, there is an initial accident that leads to ongoing injuries with long-term recovery expenses or an ongoing disability that needs ongoing care. This could result in benefits lasting for years to cover your medical care.
Wage-Loss Benefits
Benefits are paid under Workers’ Comp to injured construction workers to cover around 2/3 of their normal wages. In cases where workers make below a certain threshold, the percentage of your wage that is covered goes up, capping off at 90%. There is also a cap set at the average weekly wage across the state, a number that changes from year to year.
These benefits should be paid if your injury keeps you out of work for at least 7 days, and if the injury keeps you from working for at least 14 days, those first 7 days’ wages are also paid. The amount paid can also be modified if you are able to return to work part-time or at a reduced wage, helping make up for the difference in wages until you can return to work at your full capacity.
Specific Loss Injuries
If you lose a finger on a table saw or need a leg amputated after an injury after being run over by a backhoe, the injury may be permanent. In these cases, your injury will certainly heal over, but you will never recover function in the lost body part. Because recovery works differently in these situations and many people with total loss of function in certain body parts are often able to eventually return to work, § 306 of the Workers’ Comp Act specifies a “schedule” of benefits paid for each type of injury. If you lost a body part or lost function in a body part, our lawyers can help you understand what benefits you should be entitled to.
Death Benefits
If a construction accident took the life of someone in your family, the rest of your family could be entitled to Workers’ Comp death benefits. These are designed to help support your family now that your loved one is gone, providing lost wages and funeral/burial benefits at certain levels. Larger families with more dependents often receive higher benefits, but talk to an attorney about what specific amounts should be paid to your family.
Construction Work Comp – How it Works
The same work comp rules and regulations apply to construction accidents as other types of work injuries. A construction injury lawyer will help you guide through the process of filing an official complaint about the injury, estimate the loss and work out a fair compensation, according to the PA workers’ compensation act.
You must prove that you were:
- Employed: That is, you worked at the construction company or site at the time of injury.
- Injured on the job: The construction accident happened at the job.
- Gave proper notice: You notified the employer or immediate manager about the work injury.
- Have a disability related to the work injury.
Workers’ Compensation Specialists for Injured Construction Workers in Allentown
Some of our attorneys have special certifications, allowing us to call ourselves Certified Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Specialists. Lawyers usually cannot advertise themselves as specialists in any area of the law, but through additional training, testing, and experience, our construction accident lawyers have earned that right.
This certification means that we know how to handle Workers’ Comp claims, and we know how to make the filings needed to challenge denials and seek out benefits from reluctant insurance companies. Whether your employer is denying that your injury was work-related or trying to kick you off their benefits by calling you an independent contractor, our attorneys can seek to have your benefits paid.
Our lawyers focus our practice on Workers’ Comp claims because that is often the best and only route to compensation. When construction accidents involve the victim making a mistake that injures them, there is often no way to sue anyone else for the injury. However, Workers’ Comp still covers these workers in many cases.
Additionally, the law prevents employees from suing their employers. When a lack of safety gear, training, proper staffing, or other safety requirements is what caused your accident, there is typically no one to hold responsible except for your employer. When lawsuits against them are barred, Workers’ Comp becomes your only route to compensation.
Our Allentown Construction Accident and Injury Attorneys Can Help
If you or a loved one was hurt in a construction accident, call Cardamone Law’s construction accident attorneys for a free case analysis at (267) 651-7945.
