Pittsburgh Construction Accident Lawyer

The construction industry will always be a vital part of the Pittsburgh’s economy. It is also one of the most inherently dangerous fields to work in. Construction injuries are often severe or fatal, and victims need to understand their rights if a negligent party caused their injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines the most common causes of construction-related deaths as “the Fatal Four.”The “Fatal Four” include:

  • Falls (40 percent of all construction industry deaths)
  • Electrocutions (8 percent)
  • Struck by object (8 percent)
  • Caught between objects (4 percent)

If a loved one has died from a construction site injury, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim on his or her behalf. If an accident resulted in a personal injury, you have options for legal recourse.

Worker’s Compensation Claims for Construction Site Injuries in Pittsburgh

Worker’s compensation exists to lessen the burden of medical expenses and lost wages for injured workers. While worker’s compensation benefits are a great asset to injured employees, they rarely cover much more than the initial medical care for an injury and the time spent away from work. While disability insurance may cover an extended sabbatical from work, you need to know your options if a negligent party caused your injuries and worker’s compensation won’t cover your losses.

If another party caused your injuries, you need to be able to prove that he or she was negligent, and that negligence resulted in injury and other damages to you. Proving negligence hinges on several factors:

  • Your attorney must show that the defendant (the party you are suing) had a duty to act with reasonable care. An example of this would be employers are legally obligated to address known safety hazards in an effective and timely manner.
  • Then, your lawyer must show the court that the defendant breached his or her duty to act with reasonable care by some action (or inaction as the situation dictates). Following the previous example, if someone notifies an employer of a hazard but he or she fails to address it properly within a reasonable time, the court will likely consider them negligent.
  • Next, you have to show that this breach of duty injured you. You cannot sue if you did not suffer any harm, and you can only sue for the damages that directly resulted from the defendant’s negligence.

Reliable legal counsel will be invaluable to your construction accident case. In some situations, you may need to file a product liability claim against a manufacturer of a defective piece of equipment, defective machinery, or other dangerous products. This would be a third-party claim in your personal injury lawsuit, and can increase the amount of compensation you receive.

Bystander Injuries from Construction Sites

Our construction accident lawyers here at Ronald J. Bua & Associates can also help bystanders injured because of a negligent construction site practice. We have the means to help victims injured from falling debris and other objects, unsecured scaffolding, and more. We can also help innocent bystanders who have been hit and injured by large construction vehicles such as bulldozers and forklifts, and can help others who are injured near or on a construction site.

Contact Our Construction Accident Attorneys

Our team of Pittsburgh construction accident lawyers are fully-equipped to handle cases involving:

  • Defective or faulty tools and machinery
  • Falling debris
  • Heavy equipment (forklifts, bulldozers, back hoes, etc.)
  • Slip and falls
  • Scaffolding collapse or falls
  • Falls from ladders
  • Maintenance failures
  • Electrical accidents (electrocution)
  • Flagger and construction zone workers
  • Falls from roofs or scaffolding
  • Other job site injuries

Construction work is dangerous, and negligence can lead to serious injuries, lost wages, lost future earning capacity and permanent disabilities. Even worker’s compensation claims for less serious injuries can be a tremendous hassle. Employers will sometimes illegally attempt to prevent you from filing a worker’s compensation claim, or punish you for doing so. This is retaliation and is illegal. If an employer interferes with your worker’s compensation claim process, he or she needs to be held accountable.

It’s important that negligent parties are accountable for the damage they inflict on others. Contact Ronald J. Bua & Associates for a free, no-obligation consultation. During your first interview with our team construction accident lawyers, we’ll discuss the details of your case and let you know what type of claim you’ll need to file.

Ronald J. Bua & Associates has more than 30 years of experience in handling all manner of personal injury claims for clients in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. We only take on a few cases at a time to ensure that every one of our clients receives the full range of our services and our full attention.