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; these professionals are often unrecognized for the dangerous work they perform. New York is so far the only State to try and reduce the number of accidents by changing the law; as a consequence there has been an increase in the number of accident lawyers practicing. Almost every type of construction site injury is serious but falls are those that happen most often; but there are many others, including injuries caused as a result of defective machines/equipment or electrocution for example.
If you are unfortunate enough to work on a construction site and be injured, then all the facts relating to the accident fully documented; this should be carried out as soon as possible after the event so the memory is fresh. This will increase your chances of a successful compensation claim as it is easy to pick holes in an incomplete record of events; never underestimate the importance of this.
It should read a little like a police report with the what, when, where and how sections completed; for instance:
*Location, date and time of the incident *What type of machinery was being used? *Has the equipment caused any other injuries? *Recent inspection report of the machinery *Contact details of anyone who witnessed the accident *Was the weather partly responsible?
Write down every aspect of the event; your accident lawyer will need all that information and it will help them build a stronger case!
Once all the information has been gathered you will need to locate a good lawyer, preferably someone with experience in accident compensation claims; this way you should expect superior results with any compensation claim you make. Remember you have had an injury that wasn’t your fault; the other party will probably have engaged a professional accident lawyer to defend them so you will need to do the same if you hope to win.
Unfortunately, the law forbids any legal suits against employers; this does not mean that others cannot be held responsible for negligence or faulty equipment and these people or companies can be prosecuted. This can include, third-party contractors, property owners, and equipment manufacturers; the law does allow claims to be made against other companies involved in the construction industry
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 known that claims will be made against contractors and property owners who do not keep their sites safe. Subcontractors will also be held responsible especially when they have supplied their workers with dangerous or faulty equipment that caused the accident. Compensation can also be sought from the equipment manufacturers if the injury was the result of faulty equipment; your accident lawyer will advise you on the next course of action. The best advice would be to seek a company that has made successful claims in the past who aware of the laws surrounding construction site injuries; it is more likely a firm that deals exclusively in this type of law will serve you better.