Accident Law
Of all the professions in the United States where danger is involved it is the construction industry that is the most hazardous to health; few occupations face such regular dangers as these individuals. Unlike anywhere else in America, New York State has lead the way by providing special laws relating to construction site safety; using accident lawyers to represent injured victims and families. Many types of accidents happen on any site but it is falls that occur most frequently; but electrocutions, fires, explosions or being crushed by machinery – any one of these can kill.
It is important that when an injury or accident happens, information about the incident is documented; this needs to be completed quickly before important facts are lost. Unfortunately it is one of those situations where the more information you have recorded the better the chances of a successful compensation claim; often injury victims only find out how important this is when it is too late.
It should read a little like a police report with the what, when, where and how sections completed; for instance:
*The time of day, date and place of the accident *What type of equipment caused the injury? *Any problems with the equipment *The last time the machinery was checked *Did anyone else see what happened? *Could the weather have had an effect?
Every piece of information available should be kept; the accident lawyer will ask for as many details as possible so it’s possible to build a watertight case.
The next thing to do is to get a good lawyer and in these cases, you want someone who has experience with accident law; you can be certain that your chances of success will be increased. Remember you have had an injury that wasn’t your fault; you could be making a very costly mistake by not hiring a good quality accident lawyer.
Many people never file a compensation claim or lawsuit against their employer because the law prevents this from happening; nevertheless, employers are not the only ones that could be held responsible for an accident. This can include, third-party contractors, property owners, and equipment manufacturers; you are at liberty to make a claim for injury from third party companies.
If you are a construction worker in the State of New York you should consider yourself lucky as you have the law on your side when it comes to safety issues; they have made it clear that the site owner and contractors must ensure the site is a safe working environment. The responsibility even extends to the subcontractors who cannot escape justice. It is also possible to pursue negligent construction equipment suppliers if it is found that injuries and accidents are the result of unsafe equipment they supplied; this is where your accident lawyer will be of great benefit. There are a number of specialist law firms whose work only involves construction site accidents, and these are the ones to seek out; they will have knowledge of local laws and are more likely to pursue a successful claim.