Texas Construction Accident Lawyers

Construction Site Accident Lawyers Advocating for Injured Construction Workers Nationwide

Construction is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one out of every five workplace fatalities is a construction worker.

Because of the dangerous nature of the job, injuries are oftentimes serious and life-threatening. If you have been injured in a construction site accident in Texas, contact the lawyers at the law firm of Thomas J. Henry today.

Negligence at Construction Sites Leads to Catastrophic Injuries and Death

When employers fail to follow worker safety regulations and implement proper safety programs, construction workers are put in danger. Thousands of workers in the construction industry suffer from serious on the job injuries due to the negligence of construction companies. Many workers that have suffered life-changing injuries could be living normal lives if employers put their safety and well-being before profit. At Thomas J. Henry, our construction injury lawyers are dedicated to achieving the compensation injured workers deserve.

The immediate aftermath of a construction injury can be overwhelming. You have likely just sustained a serious injury along with severe pain and uncertainty. Your employer and insurance companies may approach you and attempt to have you sign your rights away as an injured worker. It is important that you know your rights and that those rights are protected. By hiring the experienced work injury attorneys at Thomas J. Henry, you are ensured that your case is handled properly and efficiently and that your best interests are secure. Allow us to handle the hassles and legal processes while you focus on healing.

By following these simple steps, you can put yourself in a better position to achieve the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Remember, Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys are available 24/7, nights and weekends to take your call and evaluate your construction injury or accident in Texas.

Seek medical attention immediately
File a report with your employer as soon as possible and receive copies of all documentation
If possible, take photographs of the work site and any tools or equipment involved in the accident
Collect names and contact information of witnesses to the accident, including coworkers and bystanders
Document any changes in your health due to the construction accident as well as any visits with a doctor
Contact an experienced construction injury attorney

As is the case in most personal injury cases, construction accident lawsuits benefit from starting the legal process as soon as possible. Our construction worker injury lawyers will take immediate action on your case and start collecting and preserving evidence, researching case law, and determining which expert witnesses to utilize on your behalf.

Furthermore, our experienced construction accident lawyers will begin investigating into whether a third party was involved in your accident. If negligence or misconduct from a third party (such as a contractor, architect, engineer, or equipment manufacturers) lead to your injury, a lawsuit may be filed to recover damages in addition to a worker’s compensation claim with the employer.

Common Causes of Construction Accidents

The “Fatal Four” causes of construction accidents — falls, struck by an object, electrocutions, and caught-in/between — accounted for 64.2 percent of all construction industry deaths in 2015. Eliminating the “Fatal Four” would save approximately 602 workers’ lives every year.

Falls

The leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, falls claim the lives of 362 workers on average each year. Hazards that cause the most fall-related injuries and deaths include:

Unprotected sides, wall openings, and floor holes – Many work sites have unprotected sides, edges, and uncovered holes in the floor and wall at some point during construction. Unprotected openings can cause injuries due to falls and falling objects.
Improper scaffold construction – When heavy equipment and building materials are present on a scaffold with limited space, falls can occur. Without properly installed guardrail systems or the use of fall protection, serious injuries and death can be a result of a fall.
Unguarded exposed steel rebars – Protruding steel reinforcing bars are extremely hazardous. Stumbling onto an unprotected/unguarded steel rebar can cause impalement, serious injuries, and death.
Misuse of portable ladders – Ladders that are positioned improperly create a big fall risk. If a ladder is on uneven ground, is unsteady, or defective, falls can cause injuries or death.

Struck-by

These injuries can be caused by vehicles, falling objects, or in the process of building walls. In 2015, 83 construction workers were killed after being struck by a non-vehicle object.

Vehicles – Approximately 75 percent of struck-by fatalities involve heavy equipment such as trucks or cranes
Falling or flying objects – Objects can fall from construction machinery, scaffolding, or anywhere that overhead work is happening.
Falling masonry walls – Most incidents occur when jacks or lifting equipment are used to position slabs and walls, or when shoring is required until structures can support themselves

Electrocutions

In 2015, there were 81 electrocution deaths in the construction industry. Electrocutions can be caused by several different accidents, including:

Contact with power lines – Fatal electrocution is the main risk, but burns and falls from elevations are also hazards.
Issues with ground-fault protection – This can cause electrical burns, explosions, fire, or death.
Improper use of equipment
Human error can cause severe injury or death.

Caught in-between (Trenching)

In 2015, 67 deaths in the construction industry were a result of a caught-in or caught-between, trenching, or excavation injury. Lack of oxygen or exposure to harmful chemicals can be deadly in some instances. Causes of these injuries include:

No protective system
Failure to inspect trench and protective systems
Unsafe spoil-pile placement
Unsafe access/egress

Expert Witnesses to Assist with Your Construction Injury Lawsuit

At Thomas J. Henry, we employ an array of experts to provide expert reports and testimony in every construction injury case. Finding the right expert for your unique situation can prove to be crucial in achieving a positive result. Expert witnesses provide expertise and specialized knowledge that an average person may not have.

We have spent years finding the best expert witnesses from across the country to employ on our clients’ behalf. Each witness undergoes a thorough examination and questioning process before ever taking part in any aspect of a case. In a construction accident lawsuit, we may employ the services of the following experts:

Workplace safety compliance experts
Industrial accident reconstruction experts
Premises maintenance experts
OSHA consultants
Safety equipment experts
Ladder experts
Occupational and environmental health experts
Hazardous chemicals experts
Process safety management experts
Physicians, psychical therapists, and other healthcare professionals
Fire and explosion investigators

Expert witnesses can provide detailed information regarding your construction site injury. Our construction job injury lawyers are always looking for intuitive ways to use experts in construction accident cases.

Contact an Experienced Texas Construction Accident Attorney

If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury in a construction accident, contact a construction site accident lawyer at Thomas J. Henry. Accidents that occur on construction sites can cause severe, life-altering injuries, causing physical, emotional, and financial pain. Our experienced construction injury attorneys work diligently to make sure our clients are comfortable and informed throughout the entire process. At Thomas J. Henry, we have a record of achieving real results for our clients.

Let our Texas construction accident law firm assist you with your construction accident injury. Our firm has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Houston, serving clients across Texas and nationwide. Call one of our construction worker injury and site accident lawyers today for a free case review.

Contact Us for a Free Case Review

866-517-5659

info@tjhlaw.com

Contact Us for a Free Case Review

866-517-5659
info@tjhlaw.com

Your Questions Answered

We have straight answers to difficult questions
to help you make critical decisions, navigate
legal process and help you get justice.

Following an accident, there are always more questions
than answers. At Thomas J. Henry, we’re here to answer
any questions you have about your injury case.

If you have been injured in a workplace accident, there are a few things you can do to help secure workplace compensation as well as strengthen any claim to additional recoveries you may have. Seek medical attention. First and foremost, you should seek treatment for your injuries. Understanding the extent of your injuries is not only important to make a full recovery, but will also help you gauge how much that recovery is going to cost you. If you do not feel completely comfortable with the company doctor, go to your own physician for a second opinion. Report your injury. Workplace injuries need to be reported in a timely manner. Also, keep your supervisor or manager up-to-date on any subsequent developments. If your doctor has diagnosed an injury that was not immediately evident at the time of your initial report, let your supervisor know. Get a written report of the accident. Your employer must take a report of the accident. You are entitled to a copy as well. Do not let your employer deny you a physical copy of your report for your own records. Identify witnesses. If someone witnessed your accident, get their information. You may need to refer back to their account of the incident later. Take photos. Take photos of the area, including any tools or equipment that may have played a role in the accident. Write an account. You will likely be asked to make statements about your claim multiple times. Having a detailed account that was written while the accident was still fresh in your mind can help keep your statements concise and accurate. Contact an attorney. Even if you plan on going through workers’ compensation, contacting an experienced attorney can help ensure you are receiving a fair amount. Thomas J. Henry offers free consultations to all injured victims. Our attorneys are available 24/7 – seven days a week.

If you fell from scaffolding while on the job, depending on the circumstances under which your accident occurred and whether or not your employer offers worker’s compensation, you may be able to sue your employer or a third party who was involved in your accident.

Roughly 4,836 worker deaths and 2.9 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses are recorded in the United States every year. Among the most common causes of death and injury in the workplace are falls, slips, and trips. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that falls, slips and trips result in 16.5% of all recorded fatal workplace injuries. This makes falls the second most common cause of death in the workplace, exceeded only by transportation accidents. Additionally, fall protection and Scaffolding are consistently among the top three most frequently cited standards by Federal OSHA.

The Legal Information Institute defines negligence as a failure to behave with the level of care that a reasonable person would have exercised under the same circumstances. While the behavior in question usually consists of actions, it can also consist of omissions when there is some duty to act. When attempting to ascertain whether a person’s conduct or behavior lacked reasonable care, lawyers will consider the four elements that are required to establish a prima facie case (a legally required rebuttable presumption). The elements are:

The existence of a legal duty that the defendant owed to the plaintiff
The defendant’s breach of that duty
The plaintiff’s sufferance of an injury
Proof that the defendant’s breach caused the plaintiff’s injury

When it comes to a construction site, your employer, contractor, and co-workers owe you a general duty of care and must conduct themselves reasonably and prudently. This duty of care can also extend to the owners of the property that is under construction, any transportation companies responsible for transporting materials to the site, as well as the manufacturers of machinery and products being used in the construction project. If any of these parties acted in a way that contributed to your injuries, you may have a negligence case.

When working to determine whether negligence resulted in your accident and injuries, your attorney will often apply what is commonly called the “but-for” test. In a statement, that would be “but for the actions of the defendant, my client would not have suffered his injuries.” If the statement is true, your attorney will have established cause-in-fact or “actual cause.” This is then strengthened through investigation, the gathering of evidence, and interviewing witnesses. Your attorney may also incorporate the help of expert witnesses to help prove negligence and discover if the actions of the defendant violated federal or state regulations. Expert witnesses often used in Texas construction accident cases include:

OSHA consultants
Accident reconstructionists
Welding experts
Confined space permit experts
Engineering experts
Safety equipment experts
Occupational and environmental health experts
Hazardous chemical experts
Process safety management experts

These experts can provide detailed information about a construction accident. Because of the experts Thomas J. Henry uses, we can bring in information that many other law firms lack. We use a multitude of expert witnesses, putting you in the best position possible to achieve the compensation they deserve.

Generally, a construction site will have several different contractors and employers on-site at any given time. Because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to determine who is liable for your injuries. This is why it is a good idea to get in contact with an experienced construction accident attorney. Not only can an attorney help identify all the entities responsible for your accident and injuries, but they can also help you recover compensation from the entities even if your employer has already begun paying out workers’ compensation. Some instances in which liability may go beyond your employer are:

A commercial vehicle operator striking scaffolding, causing fall injuries.
Electrocution that occurred at an apartment complex with poorly maintained wires.
Injuries caused by a construction worker being exposed to asbestos at a job site.
Injuries caused by a defective piece of machinery or equipment.
Injuries caused by a co-worker who acted negligently while under the influence of a narcotic or alcohol.

Why Choose Us

No Win, No Fee

Thomas J. Henry offers a "No Fee Promise." We work on a contingency fee basis which means you do not pay our firm any fees unless and until we win your case. Learn more.

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Help with Bills

If you've been hurt, you may have a damaged vehicle or be unable to work. We can help get you a rental car if your vehicle is damaged and even advance money on qualified cases.

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We handle all types of injury cases, including vehicle accidents, slip and falls, medical malpractice, vehicle recalls, product recalls, pharmaceutical cases, mass tort, and more.

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Our firm wins top verdict awards each year and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Newsweek.com, Forbes, Fortune, Parenting Magazine and more.

Top Verdicts & Settlements

We win some of the top verdicts, settlements, and judgments in the country. Recent recoveries include $50 million for a trucking accident, $35 million for a trucking accident and $30.2 million for a vehicle recall accident.

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