Get The Legal Help You Need After Being Injured In A Workplace Accident

While some jobs are much more dangerous than others, employees can suffer injuries in any workplace. After an on-the-job injury that leaves you unable to work, you should be able to rely on workers’ compensation benefits to cover the costs of medical treatment and replace a portion of your wages. Unfortunately, in order to maximize their own profits, employers and insurance companies often try to make it as difficult as possible to claim the benefits that you are entitled to.

If you were hurt at work and need help with a workers’ compensation claim, contact the skilled and caring attorneys at Curiel & Runion, PLC. We can guide you through the entire application and appeals process while protecting your rights and ensuring that your claim isn’t compromised by paperwork errors or missed deadlines. We may also be able to help you increase your overall compensation by filing a lawsuit against a negligent third party that caused or contributed to your injuries.

Construction Workers Are At Especially High Risk Of Injuries And Death

Construction is among the most dangerous of all occupations. Nearly every construction worker experiences at least one, and often more, work-related injuries or illnesses in a lifetime, in addition to being at a higher than average risk of premature death, according to the American Public Health Association. The U.S. Bureau of Labor reports that there are about 150,000 construction site accidents every year.

The four most frequent causes of death among American construction workers include:

• Falls from height
• Electric shocks
• Being struck by a falling, swinging or otherwise moving object
• Being caught, squeezed or crushed between two or more objects

Approximately four out of every 100 construction workers are injured on the work site annually. The causes of those injuries are too numerous to list here. But it is safe to say that there is no shortage of ways to be injured while working in construction.

There Are Limitations To Workers’ Compensation

When you’re injured on the job, you usually look first to workers’ compensation to cover your medical bills and part of your lost wages, unless you’ve rejected workers’ compensation coverage before being injured, or if your employer had not posted the notice advising employees of their right to reject workers’ compensation. In that case, you have the right to file a civil lawsuit against your employer.

If you were injured as the result of willful misconduct of your employer or one of your co-workers, you also have the right to file a civil lawsuit against the employer and the co-worker who injured you. You can file a civil lawsuit against your employer if the company was not carrying workers’ compensation insurance at the time of your injury.

Workers’ compensation entitles you to lifetime medical benefits, but the compensation for lost wages is capped by law. There is no such limitation in a civil lawsuit. If you sue in civil court, there is no cap on the amount of damages you can claim. Furthermore, in a civil action, you can potentially recover noneconomic damages, including pain and suffering and punitive damages, which are not available under workers’ comp.

Identifying Third-Party Liability To Increase Your Recovery Potential

If you have not opted out of workers’ compensation coverage, you can’t sue your employer for damages. You may, however, have a cause of action against another party whose negligence caused or contributed to your injury, for example, the manufacturer of a defective piece of equipment or a subcontractor who created a dangerous condition at the site.

At the Phoenix, Arizona, law firm of Curiel & Runion, PLC, we understand the limitations of workers’ compensation and look for ways to ensure that you will recover enough to take care of your needs and those of your family when you’ve been sidelined by a construction accident injury. We are experienced at uncovering third-party liability to increase your potential recovery beyond what is available through workers’ compensation.

Discuss Your Legal Options With An Attorney For Free

Our firm has two convenient office locations in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, as well as an office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For a free case consultation and answers to your legal questions, contact Curiel & Runion, PLC, today. Just call 602-838-6378 or send us an email.