Indianapolis Construction Accident Lawyer

Indiana construction companies may be strictly regulated by a host of state and federal agencies, but construction continues to be one of the most dangerous industries in the Hoosier State. When construction employers put profits ahead of safety, their employees may be at risk of catastrophic injury or death, as the families of the 21 workers killed on Indiana construction sites in 2021 are painfully aware.

Fortunately, economic assistance may be available if you have been hurt at an Indianapolis construction site, and your chances of obtaining what you deserve could be even greater when you partner with the Indianapolis construction accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group. Our firm understands the challenges that a construction accident can bring, and we would be proud to help you overcome those challenges so that you can become whole again.

Please call us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form now to schedule a free consultation with a knowledgeable Indianapolis construction accident attorney.

Common Causes of Indianapolis Construction Injuries

Thousands of electricians, carpenters, masons, steelworkers, and other building professionals are employed in the Indianapolis construction industry, traveling from one construction site to the next and encountering rapidly changing environments and safety standards along the way.

Every Indianapolis construction site is different, with different issues and concerns that must be addressed, yet some kinds of accidental injuries are very common at these locations. For example, over half of the casualties on construction sites are caused by:

Falls – Construction workers often ply their trades in high places, and a single misstep could be disastrous. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, falls are the most lethal construction accidents, responsible for around a third of fatalities on site.

Getting struck by objects – Approximately 11.1 percent of deadly construction accidents are the result of getting struck by objects in motion.

Electrocutions – Workers can be electrocuted when they come into contact with bare wires, unfinished electrical systems, or downed utility lines, with electrocutions accounting for 8.5 percent of the lives lost on construction sites.

Crushing incidents – About 5.5 percent of the construction workers who die on the job are crushed when they are caught in or between immovable forces.

Additional causes of construction injuries include:

Heavy equipment accidents – Modern construction work would be unthinkable without the use of heavy equipment, such as jackhammers, cranes, forklifts, and construction vehicles. When this equipment is operated incorrectly or malfunctions, punishing injuries may be incurred.

Trench or building collapses – Workers could be buried beneath tons of earth or building materials when trenches are dug or buildings are constructed in an improper fashion.

Fires and explosions – Construction crews routinely work with highly combustible substances, which could easily catch fire or explode if they are not shielded from flames, sparks, or extreme temperatures.

Toxic chemical releases – Similarly, toxic chemicals could leak into the atmosphere or the water supply unless they are adequately contained.

Obviously, accidents don’t just occur on construction sites, but some hazards unique to these settings could make an accidental injury more likely, such as:

Lack of overhead coverage

Insufficient fall prevention measures

Obstructed walkways

Open trenches

Unguarded power sources

Broken tools and machinery

These sorts of defects could indicate negligence, which is an essential component in any viable construction injury claim. Unless you can show that somebody else was to blame for your construction injuries, you may not be eligible to seek compensation for them, but you can count on Hensley’s tenacious Indianapolis construction accident lawyers to find proof of wrongdoing when it exists.

Indianapolis Construction Accidents Can Inflict Devastating Injuries

Maximizing your compensation may be critical when something goes awry during a construction project, since Indianapolis construction accidents can inflict devastating injuries that few could manage on their own.

Some of the most frequent injuries on Indianapolis construction sites include:

Head injuries – Many construction workers sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), concussions, scalp lacerations, and cranial fractures, particularly when weighty objects are dropped on their heads from elevated positions. Though a hard hat could lessen the impact of a sudden blow to the skull, the consequences of a significant head injury can still be dire.

Spinal cord injuries – The spinal cord may be damaged when a worker falls from a ladder, scaffolding, roof, or other raised surface, and it can necessitate a lifetime of care that may be tough to afford without capable Social Security Disability attorneys in Indianapolis.

Broken bones – Bones could be broken or crushed when a machine is misused, a building collapses, or a trench caves in.

Burn injuries – Fires, explosions, excessive heat, or caustic chemicals could severely burn, scar, and disfigure the skin in the absence of intensive medical interventions, such as skin grafts.

Eye injuries – Debris may accumulate in the air at a construction site because of the work being done, and vision problems or blindness may develop if safety goggles are not worn.

Hearing loss – Construction work can be incredibly loud, and the decibel levels associated with the constant operation of machinery could be detrimental to the hearing of anyone without earplugs.

Repetitive stress injuries – Construction workers tend to repeat the same actions over and over throughout the day, and perpetual lifting, bending, hammering, and other maneuvers can lead to repetitive stress injuries over time.

Respiratory disease – A worker’s lungs can experience repetitive injuries too, as persistent exposure to dust, mold, mildew, cleaners, adhesives, foam insulation, and contaminants of every stripe can develop into such chronic respiratory diseases as pneumonia and black lung.

The long-term physical and financial toll of a construction injury can be unbearable, but our Indianapolis construction accident lawyers can advise you of how best to proceed if you are contemplating a case.

What to Do After an Indianapolis Construction Accident

To better protect that case, there are guidelines that you should remember to follow in the aftermath of an Indianapolis construction accident. Specifically, you should:

Report the accident – Notifying your employer, foreman, or supervisor about the accident right away could ensure that the timing is accurately recorded.

Get prompt medical attention – Since delays in treatment could hinder the healing process and permit doubt to be cast on the causal relationship between the accident and your injuries, get prompt medical attention, either from paramedics on site or at the nearest emergency room or clinic.

Take pictures and shoot videos – Radical transformation isn’t the exception on a construction site, it’s the rule, so try to take pictures and shoot videos of your damages and any defects that played a role in your accident before they can be remedied.

Write down witness information – Don’t depart from the scene without writing down the names and numbers of witnesses who could independently confirm the details of the construction accident.

Avoid the insurance companies – Insurers with applicable coverage may want to talk to you, but it might be wise to avoid them because anything you say could be used against you. Instead, you should…

Speak with an attorney – A seasoned Indianapolis construction accident attorney will examine the facts of your accident and determine whether a workers’ compensation claim is your sole avenue of recovery or if you have grounds for a personal injury case.

When Workers’ Compensation Is Not Enough

Businesses in Indiana are obligated to provide certain benefits in the event of on-the-job injuries in accordance with the state’s workers’ compensation system, which was designed to aid both employers and employees.

Under this system, employers do not have to contend with lawsuits every time there is an accident in the workplace, while their employees can enjoy crucial support when they are injured at work without having to demonstrate that someone else was at fault. The types of workers’ compensation benefits awarded to an injured employee will depend upon the nature of the injury, though some core workers’ compensation benefits include:

Medical benefits

Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits

Permanent Partial Impairment (PPI) benefits

Vocational benefits

Death benefits

Not all injured employees are entitled to all benefits, however, and the benefits that employees do receive may be curtailed by aspects of their employment, such as their salaries, which can be profoundly frustrating in the wake of a major work injury.

Nevertheless, if you have been hurt in an Indianapolis construction accident, you may also be able to initiate a personal injury or third-party case if someone who doesn’t employ you or work directly for your employer has contributed to your injuries. Potential defendants might include the property owner, the project developer, the general contractor in charge of construction, and various contractors and subcontractors toiling alongside you, among others.

Because a personal injury case is not capped by your employment like a workers’ compensation claim is, it might allow you to recover for the entirety of your losses. Moreover, you may be able to pursue personal injury and workers’ compensation cases simultaneously instead of having to choose one over the other, though the workers’ compensation carrier will probably demand to be reimbursed out of your third-party settlement or verdict.

On the other hand, a personal injury case does require you to establish fault on the part of a defendant, who may in turn argue that you were at fault, which might devalue your case or doom it – but a construction accident attorney may be able to set you up for success.

What Our Indianapolis Construction Accident Attorneys Can Do for You

Construction accident cases are some of the most complex in personal injury litigation, and a savvy insurance adjuster could exploit this complexity to resolve your claim for pennies on the dollar or simply deny it, leaving you with little recourse when you are teetering on the brink of ruin.

When the worst happens, you need attorneys with the compassion to stand by you during your struggles and the skill to get you through them, like the Indianapolis accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group.

If you hire Hensley, we will launch a comprehensive investigation into your Indianapolis construction accident and everyone who might be culpable for it within the time allotted by law, then move swiftly to amass the evidence to bolster your claim.

After putting together the strongest case possible, our Indianapolis construction accident lawyers will endeavor to get you compensated for ALL of your losses, such as your:

Medical bills

Lost wages

Pain and suffering

Psychological anguish

Mobility restrictions

Diminished quality of living

Loss of consortium

Punitive and wrongful death damages (if relevant)

And unlike many of our competitors, who seldom, if ever, venture into a courtroom, we are not afraid to go to trial when an offer is not extended that is worthy of your claim.

If you are reluctant to agree to more expenditures at this moment, you should know that our firm works on a contingency basis, so you won’t have to pay us anything until our Indianapolis construction accident attorneys win your case.

It may sometimes feel like your world has crumbled beyond repair, but Hensley will work tirelessly to restore it to its former glory.

Reach Out to Hensley’s Indianapolis Construction Accident Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been advocating for the seriously injured since 1998. If you have been badly hurt by the thoughtless acts of a thoughtless actor, reach out to Hensley’s Indianapolis personal injury lawyers to discover your legal options.

You can arrange a complimentary case review with a dedicated Indianapolis construction accident attorney by calling us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form today.