Louisiana Construction Accidents

Construction workers are injured or killed each year in Baton Rouge construction site accidents. Though typically construction companies are under obligation to oversee safety inspection of each site and to provide safety programs for all employees, accidents do occur.

Usually, an injured construction worker may not sue his or her employer for work-related injuries, except for workers compensation benefits (weekly disability payments and cost of medical treatment).  However, if a third party’s negligence can be proven to have caused the injuries, that party can be considered liable.

In some cases, a construction worker may be injured at a construction site for no reason other than his or her own mistake. In other cases, the accident may be the fault of no one, the product of fate or "bad luck." In these cases of the worker's own fault or no fault for the injury, the injured party often is eligible for Workers Compensation in most states. Most on-the-job injuries and occupational diseases (arising out of and in the course of employment) are covered by Workers Comp laws. These benefits may include weekly payments based on a percentage of the employee's average weekly wage for temporary total disability, partial disability, permanent and total disability and permanent loss of function and disfigurement. Workers' Comp often also covers medical expenses for treatment and rehabilitation of the work-related injury.

A third party may be to blame for injuries that occur on the job site. When a Baton Rouge construction site accident occurs, owners, architects, and manufacturers of equipment may be considered responsible for inadequacies in safety provision. All contractors (general and sub-) are required to provide a "reasonably safe" site, to warn of hazards inherent in the site and work, to hire careful employees, to coordinate job safety and to supervise compliance with safety specifications.

The companies that manufacture the equipment used on the construction site are responsible for design and safety of those products. Defective or dangerous products may include scaffolding, power tools, conveyors, woodworking tools, ladders, trucks, graters, tractors, back hoes, heavy equipment, boilers, pressure vessels, gas detectors and other types of construction equipment.

It is often the case that a third party is liable for a construction-related accident or injury. For the injury victim, this is important; Worker’s Compensation benefits do not provide compensation for pain and suffering resulting from an accident.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call Gordon R. Crawford at (225)647-2881 or toll free 1-800-889-1313. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.