Construction actions occur in various ways on construction sites in Texas. These accidents can involve visitors to the site, employees of the owner or builder, employees of third parties working on the site, and trespassers. The capacity of the potential injured parties makes the cases complex and are one of the key ways in which a construction actions lawyer can help you.

Construction Accidents

Construction accidents are injuries or damage that results from building, improving, repairing, cleaning, demolishing, or generally constructing a building that takes place in a specific facility. Construction accidents can range from property damage to personal injury. Liability for such damages depends on the status of the injured person and his or her relationship to the various parties working on the construction site. 

Texas law essentially recognizes two types of construction site accidents:  

• Those where the injured party is an employee and therefore covered by Workers Compensation
• Those where the injured party, whatever his or her status, is not covered by Workers Compensation

Because these different statuses complicate the potential liable parties and the law that applies to them, a construction accident attorney can be a great assistance to you in recovering for your injuries.

Common Causes of Construction Site Accidents in Texas

Construction site accidents are not uncommon. OSHA calls construction sites a high hazard industry and reports that one fifth of all US annual worker deaths occur in construction. As recently as 2019, more than 600 Texans died in construction accidents. Some of the more common causes of these injuries are:

• Falls from a height – Construction workers spend a lot of time in elevated positions, on ladders, roofs, scaffolding and other high and unprotected places, including holes, from or into which they can fall. Falls cause over one-third of all deaths in the workplace.

• Hit by falling object – About ten percent of workplace deaths result from a worker being hit by an object or equipment that is moving, falling, or swinging. Hit-by accidents also include workers who are hit by motor vehicles on the work site.While not the most common cause of death on worksites, these are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries. 

• Electrocution – Construction sites are rife with exposed wiring, wet conditions when electricity is exposed, contact with power lines and electrical panels, and even lightning. Nearly ten percent of workplace fatalities are electrocution-related. 

• Explosions or burns – Exposed wiring can also cause fires or explosions. Gas leaks and toxic substances can also create hazards. 

• Caught-in or caught-between equipment accidents – This broad category of injuries include workers caughts between or in moving machinery or parts, or being caughts in collapsing structure, trenches, or stacks of materials. Less than three percent of workplace fatalities result from this type of injury. 

• Slip and fall injuries – the exposed nature of construction sites and the amount of equipment and supplies stored on them make common sites for a slip and fall type injury.

How Much Compensation Can I Get

As is always the case with a personal injury, the amount you can recover is directly related to the amount by which you have been injured. Personal injury lawsuits are not lottery tickets; they are, instead, intended to compensate you for the injuries you suffered in your construction site accident in Texas.

Workers Comp Cases

In the typical Workers Comp construction site injury, the employee will be entitled to medical care and to a certain percentage of his or her lost wages. However, Workers Comp seldom covers all of an injured parties losses, and an experienced construction site accident attorney will know how to analyze your case for other potential defendants. 

Non-Workers Comp Cases

In a non-Workers Comp case, a construction accident attorney will examine all of the potentially liable parties, including your employer. Damages to be sought can be far higher than under Workers Comp and may include non-economic damages like pain and suffering. 

How a Construction Site Accident Lawyer Can Help

Construction accident law in Texas is complicated. The status of the injured party and of the various parties present on the worksite when the injury occurred make determining who might be liable a complex process. A knowledgeable construction site accident attorney will be able to analyze your case, find the potential defendants, and obtain the best possible recovery for you.