Chicago Construction Accident Lawyers

Construction work is among the most dangerous work available. This is why construction companies must take safety extremely seriously – by ensuring that they carefully adhere to all safety rules and regulations and take all necessary precautions to help protect everyone on the job. If you or someone you love has been injured in a construction accident, you need the professional legal counsel of a dedicated Chicago construction accident lawyer on your side. 

Unlike many lawyers, we practice both Workers’ Compensation (link) and Personal Injury (link) law.  On a construction site, there are often layers of control, general contractors, separate subcontractors, and property owners.  When we investigate your case, we will examine all the evidence to make sure that anybody who can be held liable for your injuries is in fact held liable.  By prosecuting your Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury case at the same time, we are in a better position to negotiate with lienholders (including the workers compensation insurance carrier), which puts more money in your pocket at the end of a successful case.

Leading Causes of Fatal Construction Accidents

There are many dangers inherent to construction work, but there are four types that are most closely associated with fatal construction accidents. These are:

• • Slips and Falls – Slip and fall accidents are always dangerous, but they tend to be more so on construction sites. Much of construction work is done from heights, and this seriously exacerbates the danger involved in any slip and fall accident. When worksites do not include safe, stable work platforms, they put their employees at increased risk.  
  • Struck by an Object – Again, much of construction work happens from heights, and the equipment and materials used for construction work are heavy. When these materials and tools are not safely secured while work is being conducted, those down below run the risk of being seriously injured in the course of being struck by a falling object. 
  • Electrocution – Construction work involves electricity on a variety of different levels, including the equipment you use, the electricity you install, and the sources of electricity that you encounter on the job. Electrocution causes serious injuries that require emergency care and that can be life-threatening. 
  • Caught-in-Between and Caught-Under Accidents – Construction work involves a lot of heavy equipment and building materials, and when a worker gets caught in between – or under – any two of these items, the results can be devastating. Construction companies are responsible for ensuring that everyone on the site is aware of moving equipment, of others’ whereabouts, of all danger zones, and more to help ensure that these often-deadly accidents never happen in the first place. 

Most-Common Safety Violations

The safety violations that lead to dangerous accidents most commonly seen on construction sites include:

• Lack of safety equipment or inadequate safety equipment designed for fall protection and/or failure to carefully adhere to fall protection guidelines
• An absence or inadequacy of communication regarding work-site hazards
• Scaffolding and/or ladders that fail to reach requisite safety standards
• Hazardous energy sources
• Absence or lack of appropriate eye, face, and/or respiratory protections
• Inadequate implementation of safety precautions regarding heavy machinery

An Experienced Chicago Construction Accident Lawyer Can Help

If you have been injured on the job at a construction site, the dedicated construction accident attorneys at Saks, Robinson & Rittenberg, Ltd., in Chicago are passionate about protecting your rights and skillfully advocating for your rightful compensation. Our legal team is on your side – not the insurance company’s – so please do not hesitate to reach out by contacting us for more information today.