South Bend Construction Accident Lawyers

Anyone who visits South Bend right now will discover a city in progress. Nearly $1 billion has been spent in recent years to break ground on major construction projects, including a ten-story patient tower at Memorial Hospital and hundreds of new residential housing units.

South Bend owes so much of its current prosperity and its future growth to the dedicated men and women of the construction industry — who unfortunately face some of the most dangerous working conditions and the highest rate of deadly injuries in Indiana’s private employment sector. In 2020 alone, 31 workers were killed on construction sites in Indiana, accounting for nearly twenty percent of the state’s on-the-job casualties. Even non-fatal construction accidents can inflict punishing injuries requiring prolonged treatment at significant expense.

If you have been hurt at a construction site in the South Bend area, get in touch with the South Bend construction accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group. Our firm has been getting justice for the average Hoosier for more than 25 years.

Call (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or complete our contact form for a free case review with a South Bend construction accident lawyer today.

Who Is Responsible for a Construction Accident?

Construction projects are elaborate undertakings, with many building trades professionals performing different tasks at the same time to achieve a greater goal. If an operation is not carefully coordinated, lives may be at stake.

In Indiana, the industry is under strict scrutiny by the Construction Safety Division of the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which verifies that workers are kept reasonably safe from injury. To pass inspection, developers and employers must:

Assess construction sites for potential dangers.
Implement detailed safety plans.
Distribute protective equipment to minimize falls and other on-site accidents.
Train workers on the proper use of tools and machinery.

A construction site that does not have sufficient preventative measures in place is a disaster waiting to happen. When it does, Hensley’s South Bend construction accident attorneys will make sure that the responsible parties are held accountable for any injuries that result.

Who Can Be Hurt in a Construction Accident?

While the vast majority of construction site injuries will be incurred by workers, other individuals can be hurt in a construction accident as well.

For example, debris could fly from the backs of construction vehicles or the tops of high-rises onto unfortunate bystanders, while operational recklessness could damage neighboring buildings, leak toxic chemicals, trigger rapidly spreading fires, or ignite catastrophic explosions.

Whether you were harmed while engaged in construction work or merely the victim of a project in which you had no part, the South Bend construction accident lawyers at our firm can evaluate the circumstances of your injury and determine whether you have grounds for a claim.

Common Causes of Construction Accidents

Construction accidents may occur for various reasons. However, more than half of all construction fatalities are caused by:

Falls – Over one-third of deaths on construction sites involve falls.
Being Hit By Objects – Someone is struck by an object in 11.1 percent of fatal construction accidents.
Electric Shock – Approximately 8.5 percent of the construction workers killed are electrocuted.
Getting Caught In or Between – Crush accidents account for 5.5 percent of fatalities in the construction industry.

While these are the chief factors in construction-related deaths, Indiana construction injuries may also result from:

Scaffold and building collapses
Construction vehicle, crane, and forklift accidents
Cave-ins
Equipment malfunctions
Chemical spills and gas leaks
Explosions and fires

Practically anywhere can serve as the location of an accident, but there are certain defective conditions on construction sites that can make them more probable, such as:

Inadequate shielding from objects overhead
Lax fall prevention safeguards
Uncovered power sources
Exposed trenches
Walkway obstructions
Defective equipment and tools

Hazards of this type could indicate negligence, a key element in construction injury litigation. Our South Bend construction accident attorneys are adept at unearthing evidence of negligent conduct that could support a case.

Steps to Take After a Construction Accident

To better protect that case, there are certain steps you should remember to take after a construction accident, such as the following:

Seek immediate treatment – Prompt medical care is essential for your well-being, while any gaps in treatment could allow the connection between the incident and your injuries to be called into question.
Report the accident – Be sure to inform your employer, foreman, or supervisor about your injury right away. Uncertainty about when and how a construction accident occurred could impede the claims process.
Take pictures and shoot video – If you have your phone with you, take pictures and shoot video footage of your surroundings, which can help determine how an accident happened. Try to capture all damages and any defects that contributed to your personal injury before they can be repaired, since sudden change is the rule on a construction site, not the exception.
Take down witness information – Get the names and numbers of any eyewitnesses, as they can provide independent confirmation of the events leading up to the accident.
Avoid the insurance company – Representatives from the insurance company may reach out, but avoid them if you can. The most innocuous statements can be used against you, especially if you do not understand your rights.
Consult a lawyer – A knowledgeable construction accident lawyer can explain your rights and answer any questions you may have if you are considering a case.

What Our Construction Accident Attorneys Can Do for You

A construction accident can be physically, emotionally, and economically devastating. To make matters worse, construction accident cases are uniquely complex, and insurance companies will take advantage of this complexity to minimize how much they have to pay to resolve your case.

You need attorneys with the compassion to support you through your struggles and the skill to get you the resources to become whole again. You need the South Bend construction accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group. No adversary is too intimidating to keep us from serving the best interests of our clients.

If you choose to hire our firm, we will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the causes of your accident and everyone who might share blame for it, which can be difficult to do because of how many parties may be involved. Possible defendants may include the property owner and/or the developer, the general contractor in charge of overall construction, the contractors hired by the general contractor, and any subcontractors hired by them.

These parties each have different legal and contractual duties to meet, which may expose them to different degrees of financial liability depending on the nature of the construction accident. Luckily, Hensley’s South Bend construction accident lawyers are fully versed in all state and local construction laws and regulations as well as industry practices, so they are equipped to identify actionable breaches of duty within the time permitted by law.

Once we assemble an airtight case against every everyone at fault, we will work to negotiate a settlement that reflects the entirety of your losses, including:

Medical bills
Lost wages
Pain and suffering
Diminished quality of life
Psychological trauma
Punitive and wrongful death damages (if applicable)

And if we do not receive an offer that is equal to the true value of your case, we are not afraid to go to trial for a verdict that is. This sets Hensley apart from many of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, see the inside of a courtroom — and leave money on the table because of it.

No Cost to You Until We Win

If you are unable to handle additional expenditures at this moment, you may be pleased to learn that our firm works on a contingency basis. This means that there will be no cost to you for our services until our South Bend construction accident attorneys win your case.

That construction accident may have caused your life to fall to pieces, but you can trust Hensley to put it back together.

Contact a South Bend Construction Accident Lawyer

Hensley Legal Group has been fighting for the everyday people of Indiana for over a quarter century. If you are still reeling from the impact of a serious injury, contact a South Bend construction accident lawyer to explore the remedies available to you.

You can schedule a no-cost consultation with one of our accomplished South Bend construction accident attorneys by calling us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form.