New Brunswsick Workers’ Compensation Lawyers: What to Do If You Are Injured in a Construction Site Accident
Protect Your Rights after a Construction Site Injury
Studies continue to show that the construction industry is one of the most dangerous places you can work. More than one in ten workplace fatalities occurs on a commercial or residential building site, and the injury surpasses all others in the volume of workplace injuries. Unfortunately, under the conditions where construction occurs, the types of injuries sustained are often serious and catastrophic. Here are some things you need to do to protect your rights.
Get the Medical Attention You Need
Before you think about recovering for lost wages and income, or for any other consequences of your injury, you need to get the medical treatment necessary to maximize your recovery. This is not the time to be strong or be a hero. A workplace injury can change the rest of your life. If you can’t move under your own power, don’t try to. Wait for EMTs or other medical professionals to arrive and let them do what they do best.
Whether you leave under your own power, or in an ambulance, make certain you explain as much as you can remember about what happened, and be sure to tell doctors and nurses about anything that seems out of the ordinary. Don’t focus just on the obvious injuries. Medical professionals will quickly be able to determine that your leg is broken, but you have to tell them that you felt pain or stress in your back, neck or other less obvious places. Also, make certain that everything you tell doctors and nurses is documented in writing.
If you leave under your own power, either go immediately to a hospital emergency room, a walk-in clinic or to your family doctor. If you can’t get into your family doctor, schedule an appointment as soon as possible. The less time that elapses between your injury and a medical examination, the less risk that your employer will try to attribute the injury to a non-work-related cause.
Notify Your Employer
In most instances, your employer will be aware that you have suffered an injury. However, if there are no visible signs, or if no one else observed the accident, you want to disclose the injury to your employer as soon as possible, again to minimize the likelihood that your employer will argue that you were hurt outside of work.
Identify All Potential Witnesses
Try to determine who might have seen the accident. If possible, write down the names of co-workers or others who were present at the time. In addition, if you can, take pictures of anything related to the accident, from work and weather conditions to your injuries, to anything out of place on the jobsite.
Contact the New Jersey Workplace Accident Lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr
At the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr, we have fought for the rights of injured workers in central New Jersey for more than four decades. We carefully choose the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. We are also happy to take over your case, if your first lawyer does not seem to have your best interests in mind.
To set us a free initial consultation, send us an e-mail or call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll-free at 1-877-249-4600).
