Hammond Construction
Accidents Lawyers

Why Choose Midwest Injury Lawyers?

When you consult with our legal team, you receive a no-cost, no-obligation case evaluation. We will advise whether we believe you have a valid injury claim, and you can ask all your questions about our firm and the process.

If you choose to work with us, we can help you gather claim documents, submit the claim on your behalf, and deal with all insurance company representatives. We can then help you obtain favorable monetary compensation for your injuries. You remain focused on your medical treatment while we handle everything on the legal side.

We have many satisfied clients who received full compensation for their injuries and losses. Please contact us today to learn more about how our Hammond construction accident attorney can help.

Common Types of Construction Accidents in Hammond

Working around heavy and dangerous construction equipment and machinery poses many dangers for construction workers. A piece of construction equipment can malfunction, or another worker might misuse the equipment, causing an accident that leads to serious injuries.

Common dangerous equipment on a construction site includes:

• Dump trucks
• Diggers
• Cranes
• Cement trucks
• Jackhammers
• Large drills
• Ladders
• Scaffolding

Many accidents involving these types of equipment can also happen on construction sites.

Some of the most common construction site accidents include:

• Falls from high scaffolding or ladders when the worker lands directly on their head, neck, or back
• Motor vehicle crashes involving construction equipment
• Crush accidents occur when a piece of equipment rolls over a construction worker
• Fires and explosions that break out on the construction site due to misuse of explosives
• Chemical spills that cause fumes or explosions on a construction site
• Rooftop or ceiling accidents that lead to falls

You have legal options if you suffered injuries in any of these types of accidents on a construction site. A knowledgeable construction accident attorney at Midwest Injury Lawyers can discuss your legal options and help you decide the best way to proceed with your case. Our skilled legal team can help you with every aspect of the claims-filing process and work to get you the full compensation you deserve to recover for your injuries.

Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim for Various Benefits

If you suffered injuries or illnesses at a construction site where you work, you might recover various monetary benefits through the Indiana Workers’ Compensation System.

You must meet several qualifications to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. First, you must have suffered your injury or illness while you were present at your job. In addition, you must have been performing a job duty—or working within the scope of your employment—when you sustained or developed your injury/illness.

If you suffered injuries while on a construction job site, you are likely eligible for various workers’ compensation benefits. However, if you suffered injuries in a car accident while going from home to the construction site or vice versa, you are less likely to be eligible for benefits.

Injured workers may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits without regard to fault. The potential benefits that injured construction workers may be eligible to recover will depend on the circumstances of their accident and the nature and extent of their injuries and medical treatment. First, an injured construction worker may be eligible for reimbursement for their related medical expenses. In addition, they can pursue a portion of their lost income.

Following some construction site accidents, accident victims may be unable to return to the job site due to the severity of their injuries. Sometimes, a worker may have to switch to a light-duty job, often taking a significant pay cut. Workers unable to return to their former construction job may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation benefits.

Finally, injured construction workers who suffer permanent injuries may be eligible to recover various permanency benefits. To be eligible for permanency benefits, a medical provider must typically examine you and provide a written permanency rating. A medical doctor must state, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that you suffered a permanent impairment to a particular part of your body. The doctor will typically use a percentage to qualify your level of permanent impairment.

Some claims for workers’ compensation permanency benefits settle when the construction accident victim and the employer’s insurance company agree on a percentage impairment.

For example, the parties may stipulate that the accident victim suffered a 10 percent permanent impairment to a specific injured body part. However, if the parties cannot agree on the percentage impairment, they will typically need to attend a hearing with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Indiana for an independent determination.

The parties can also settle their workers’ compensation case via a lump sum settlement from the employer’s insurance company. However, in this instance, the workers’ compensation case typically closes. As a result, the accident victim may be unable to reopen their claim for benefits if their injury worsens or they require additional medical treatment in the future. Moreover, insurance companies often try to settle these cases for as little money as possible to avoid a large monetary payout on their end.

Consequently, if you are thinking about settling your workers’ compensation claim, you will need a skilled attorney on your side who can aggressively negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and ensure that any lump sum settlement offer fully compensates you for your injuries—as well as for giving up your right to reopen the case at a later date.

A skilled Hammond construction accident attorney at Midwest Injury Lawyers can guide you throughout the workers’ compensation process and pursue the highest monetary benefits you deserve for your construction site injuries.

Filing a Third-Party Claim after a Construction Accident

An injured construction worker may not directly file a claim or lawsuit against their employer. Rather, the injured worker’s only avenue of redress against their employer is through the Workers’ Compensation System.

However, an accident victim can assert a third-party claim or lawsuit against various negligent individuals or entities, including:

• Construction foremen and project managers who failed to adequately supervise the construction site
• Manufacturers or designers of construction equipment that malfunctioned on a job site, causing a worker to suffer an injury on site
• Negligent third-party drivers who cause a motor vehicle accident while a worker operates a construction vehicle

To recover monetary compensation as part of a third-party claim or a lawsuit, an accident victim must show that the other party behaved negligently or carelessly. First, they must establish that the other party owed them a legal duty of care they subsequently violated. Next, the construction worker must demonstrate that as a direct result of the other party’s negligence, the accident occurred, leading to their injury or illness.

The injured construction worker may be eligible to recover additional damages as part of a third-party claim. However, an insurance company may attempt to reduce these damages if the accident victim already received benefits through the Workers’ Compensation System.

Accident victims can recover compensation for:

• Anticipated medical costs, where a medical provider has determined that the accident victim suffered a permanent injury (such as spinal cord damage and full or partial paralysis) and that, as a result, they may need to undergo additional medical treatment in the future
• Past inconvenience, pain, and suffering, compensating accident victims for the physical symptoms they endured between the date of their construction site accident and the present time
• Future anticipated inconvenience, pain, and suffering, compensating accident victims who suffer permanent injuries for the pain and discomfort they will likely experience going forward—and sometimes for the rest of their life
• Mental distress, when a mental health provider—such as a psychiatrist or psychologist—determines that the accident victim suffered a mental health impairment, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), due to the construction accident and its aftermath
• Loss of use of a body part, such as where an accident victim sustains a spinal cord or paralysis injury in their construction accident, preventing them from using their arms, legs, or other body parts
• Loss of life enjoyment, where a construction accident victim’s injuries such as broken bones cause their quality of life to significantly decline, preventing them from spending time with friends and family or limiting their ability to participate in recreational activities (including sports) that they once enjoyed
• Loss of spousal companionship, when an accident victim’s construction site injuries limit or prevent them from being intimate with their spouse

Our legal team can help determine your eligibility for filing a third-party claim following your construction site accident. If you are eligible, we can assist you during the entire claims-filing process and, if necessary, pursue litigation in the Indiana Court System on your behalf.

Talk with an Experienced Hammond Construction Accident Lawyer Today

You should know your legal rights and options if you suffered injuries in a Hammond construction accident. At Midwest Injury Lawyers, our legal team can explore your options with you and help you make informed and intelligent decisions during your workers’ compensation claim or third-party claim. We will aggressively fight for your legal rights throughout your case and help you maximize the monetary benefits and damages you ultimately receive for your construction site injuries. Reach out to a Hammond personal injury lawyer.

We can do all this for you while you focus on the most important thing, recovering from the injuries you suffered. Construction accidents can be life-altering; there is simply too much at stake to try to handle your case alone.For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a skilled Hammond construction accident attorney, please call us at (219) 200-0151 or contact us online today.

Client Testimonial

“We are so happy with our decision to utilize the services of Midwest Injury Lawyers. They were so kind and kept us informed and educated on our options to make the best decision for our family.” -Leah C. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Midwest Injury Lawyers – Hammond Office

2901 Carlson Drive  Suite 363,
Hammond, IN 46323

Phone: (219) 200-0151