If you’ve been injured in an accident on a construction site in Atlanta, don’t hesitate to call Guardian Accident & Injury Lawyers. Construction workers have rights in the state of Georgia, including the ability to seek compensation for on-the-job injuries. However, getting compensation isn’t always straightforward or easy in Atlanta, Georgia. That’s where our Atlanta construction accident lawyers can help.
Guardian Accident & Injury Lawyers is a tireless advocate for Atlanta’s construction workers who suffer devastating injuries on job sites across the city. As top-rated Georgia litigators with 75 years of combined experience, we’ve helped our clients win in excess of $250 million in benefits packages, settlements, and jury awards.
Now, we’re here to help you recover the best possible results in your construction accident claim, too. Schedule a free consultation with an Atlanta construction accident attorney or call (404) 255-9000 our Atlanta, GA, law office today.
How Guardian Accident & Injury Lawyers Can Help You After a Construction Accident in Atlanta, GA
Construction is one of the most dangerous jobs in Atlanta, GA, and workers deserve to be compensated when something goes wrong on a job site. Unfortunately, insurance companies do their best to stand between injured laborers and the money they need to cover costly medical bills, make up for lost wages, and compensate for harder-to-value trauma.
Hiring an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer can make a huge difference as you exercise your rights.
At Guardian Accident & Injury Lawyers, we take our client’s cases personally. We appreciate that you have a single shot at recovering compensation for your construction accident injuries, and we’re prepared to invest the full force of our law firm’s resources into your legal case. Our determined advocacy has helped us force insurance companies, employers, manufacturers, and other parties to pay our clients hundreds of millions of dollars.
Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys will be prepared to handle all aspects of your construction accident case:
- Coordinate a thorough independent investigation into your construction accident
- Evaluate accident reports, equipment maintenance records, witness statements, medical records, proof of OSHA safety violations, and other evidence we recover during the discovery phase
- Identify your options for recovering compensation, which can include workers’ compensation and/or a civil personal injury lawsuit
- Prepare appropriate legal claims and file them with your employer’s insurance company and/or local court clerk
- Gather documentation needed to support a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, including medical records and wage statements
- Represent you during all hearings and appeals and/or at trial, if necessary
Getting hurt on the job on a construction site can be costly. We don’t want you to forgo asking for help because you think you can’t afford it. That’s why our construction accident attorneys in Atlanta represent clients on a contingency fee basis.
You pay nothing unless our law firm wins compensation for you.
Ready to learn more? Schedule a free consultation with an Atalanta construction accident lawyer by calling our Atlanta, GA, law office today.
How Dangerous is Georgia’s Construction Industry?
Whether you’re a plumber, an electrician, a pipefitter, a carpenter, or a general laborer, you work in one of the most dangerous industries in the state of Georgia.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 34 Georgia construction workers were killed in job-related accidents in 2022.
This represented 16.2 percent of all work-related fatalities in Georgia that year.
While construction sites are located throughout the state, most are situated in Atlanta. In fact, Atlanta has seen an increase in construction projects, while the rest of the nation has seen a decline. So, it makes sense to suspect that many of Georgia’s construction accidents happen on job sites in Atlanta.
What Are the Leading Causes of Construction Accidents?
Construction projects must comply with safety regulations established by Georgia state law and the federal government through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These regulations affect everything from accident prevention requirements to job site inspections to mandated worker safety equipment.
These regulations are aimed at employers and encourage them to take steps to minimize workplace accidents and worker injuries. However, when employers cut corners because it helps them save time or money, it creates situations where workers are likely to get hurt.
Some of the most commonly cited causes of construction accidents include:
- Working with appropriate safety gear, including eye protection and hardhats
- Failing to install fall-prevention devices for workers on elevated structures like scaffolding
- Unsafe working conditions
- Negligent equipment maintenance
- Defective equipment
- Loose and unsecured wires and cables
- Miscommunication between trades
These mistakes can cause serious construction incidents, including:
- Scaffolding accidents
- Ladder accidents
- Electrocution
- Falls from heights
- Slip and fall accidents
- Trenching accidents
- Roofing accidents
- Excavation accidents
- Heavy machinery accidents
- Crane and hoist accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Digging accidents
Our construction accident lawyers in Atlanta will thoroughly evaluate your case to determine how you were injured on the job, how it could have been avoided, and what the best course of action will be to help you recover compensation for your losses.
What Types of Compensation Can I Recover if I’ve Been Hurt in an Atlanta Construction Accident?
It depends. Typically, you’ll have at least one, if not two, courses of action. The first involves filing a claim for workers’ compensation insurance benefits, while the second involves seeking damages in a civil personal injury lawsuit.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Employers in the state of Georgia with at least three employees are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Benefits can be awarded when an employee suffers a work-related injury or illness.
If you qualify, you can file a claim to recover benefits for:
- Reasonable and necessary medical expenses, including hospitalization, medication, surgery, and outpatient care
- Weekly wage benefits equal to two-thirds of your pre-injury average weekly wage
- Permanent disability benefits if your construction accident prevents you from returning to work
- Impairment benefits if you lose the use of a limb or another specific part of your body
Death benefits can also be awarded to spouses and/or children when a construction accident in Atlanta is fatal.
Workers’ compensation can be a lifeline when you’re injured on a job site, but benefits will only cover a fraction of your costs and losses. It can be important to explore additional opportunities for getting compensation after you’re hurt on the job.
Damages in a Lawsuit
Recovering workers’ compensation will prohibit you from suing your construction employer. However, you will reserve the right to sue your employer if they are not compliant with Georgia workers’ compensation laws or to take legal action against another responsible party.
Through a construction accident lawsuit, you’ll have the ability to seek compensatory damages for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Nursing care
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
- Embarrassment
- Disfigurement
A lawsuit can also help you realize punitive damages in some cases, too. When a construction accident lawsuit goes to an Atlanta jury, they’ll have the power to award additional compensation if there’s clear proof that a defendant acted intentionally or was grossly negligent.
Common Construction Accident Injuries
At Guardian Accident & Injury Lawyers, we want to help you recover substantial compensation for any injuries you’ve sustained in a construction accident, including:
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Crush injury
- Back injury
- Paralysis
- Neck injury
- Whiplash
- Chest injury
- Concussion injury
- Brain injury
- Eye injury
- Hearing loss
- Amputation injury
- Burn injury
- Electrocution injury
- Cuts and lacerations
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death of a family member
Make sure to report your construction accident and resulting injuries to your job site supervisor immediately, and then seek prompt medical care at the closest emergency room in Atlanta. These steps will be imperative if you want to be able to recover compensation from an insurance company or another responsible party in the future.
How Long Do I Have to Seek Compensation After a Construction Accident in Georgia?
Georgia has different filing deadlines for different types of legal claims:
- Workers’ compensation: one year from the date of a construction accident injury is diagnosed
- Personal injury lawsuit: two years from the date of injury or wrongful death
You must meet the applicable filing deadline if you want to be able to recover compensation from your employer’s insurance company or another liable party. Once the statute of limitations expires, you lose the right to demand monetary justice for your devastating injuries.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Atlanta Construction Accident Lawyer
Call Guardian Accident & Injury Lawyers if you or someone you love has been injured in a construction accident in Atlanta, Georgia. You have the opportunity to seek compensation for your losses. Our Atlanta construction accident lawyers are here to help you make the most of it.
We’re nationally recognized trial attorneys with over 75 years of collective experience standing up to insurance companies, employers, construction companies, and other tough opponents. Our case results – exceeding $250 million in damages – are a testament to how much we care about the people we represent.
Contact our Atlanta law office today to discover how we can impact your life, too. Your first case assessment is free.