Construction work is dangerous, and can lead to severe or catastrophic injuries. Construction workers use heavy machinery and must work with chemicals, heights, moving objects, scaffolds, and electricity. Although there are laws and workplace rules (including OSHA) designed to protect workers, accidents do happen and can have severe consequences.
When a construction worker is injured on the job, workers’ compensation will usually cover medical bills and lost wages. Generally speaking, an injured employee cannot file a lawsuit against his/her employer. However, in some cases, there is a third party that causes and/or contributes to the accident and related injuries. A worker is legally entitled to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against that third party. If a person who is not employed by a construction company, such as a pedestrian, is injured in a construction accident, that person may be able to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the person who caused the injury as well as the construction company. In this case, the accident victim would be able to pursue damages from any potentially responsible party.