Did you recently get hurt in a construction accident in Clearwater, Florida? You don’t have to struggle with the costs and consequences on your own. Contact Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers and discover how our Clearwater construction accident lawyers can help you fight to get the compensation you need and deserve.
Since 2001, Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers has been a top advocate for injured laborers in Clearwater and throughout the Tampa Bay area. Collectively, our award-winning Florida trial attorneys have 119+ years of experience and have won millions on behalf of deserving clients like you on cases like Clearwater workplace accidents, wrongful death, assault injury cases in Clearwater, catastrophic injuries, and maritime accidents, among many others.
Don’t leave benefits or damages on the negotiating table. Contact our Clearwater, FL, law office to get our top-rated litigators in your corner. Your first consultation is free, so call (727) 493-4418 now.
How Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help If You’re Hurt on a Construction Site in Clearwater, Florida
As a construction worker in Florida, there’s a good chance that you qualify to receive workers’ compensation benefits if you get hurt on the job. You may also have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit to seek additional compensation.
However, don’t expect your employer, their insurance company, or a negligent third party to make the recovery process easy for you.
Call Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers to give yourself the edge you need to win.
When you choose our Clearwater personal injury law firm, you’ll be sending a clear message to insurers and at-fault parties: you’re serious about maximizing your financial recovery.
While you focus on recovering from your injuries and getting back on your feet, our attorneys will:
- Identify your options for financial recovery
- Coordinate an independent investigation into your construction accident
- Determine causation, fault, and liability
- Gather evidence that can be used to support a claim for damages
- Interview witnesses and parties with relevant information
- Prepare and submit necessary claims and documentation on your behalf
- Handle settlement negotiations
- Appeal a denied claim for workers’ compensation benefits
- File a lawsuit with the local court and bring your case to a jury in Pinellas County, if necessary
Our construction accident lawyers in Clearwater work on contingency. We only get paid if we win your case. Call our Clearwater, Florida, law office to learn more and arrange a time for a free consultation today.
Florida Construction Accident Statistics
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 398,000 people work in Florida’s construction industry. This includes general construction laborers as well as boilermakers, brick masons, pipefitters, and workers in other construction-related specialties.
Every single one of these laborers puts their health and safety on the line when they go to work on a Florida construction site. Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the state, with dozens of reported fatalities in Florida every year.
In 2020, 82 construction workers were killed in job site accidents across the state. This represented a slight drop from the year prior when 91 construction laborers were killed on the job.
Data from the BLS reveals that carpenters, electricians, painters and paperhangers, and roofers account for most construction accident fatalities.
Why Do Construction Accidents Happen?
The construction industry is heavily regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Florida state law.
Employers are required to provide workers with reasonably safe working conditions, necessary and proper safety equipment, and appropriate job training.
These regulations are in place to limit the chances of avoidable accidents, injuries, and death. Despite that, thousands of construction workers report serious injuries and miss time at work.
Negligence, human error, and a disregard for important safety protocols are responsible for most of these devastating construction accidents.
Other leading causes of construction accidents include:
- Inadequate personal fall arrest systems (PFAS)
- Inadequate safety protection
- Defective safety gear
- Tripping hazards
- Missing guards on power tools or heavy machinery
- Unsafe or defective equipment
- Unmarked trenches
- Unguarded ledges or drops
- Slick surfaces
- Failing to properly train and supervise construction workers
- Unsecured tools
- Failing to stack materials properly
Our attorneys will carefully examine the circumstances of your construction accident to determine how it was allowed to happen and who might be at fault.
We Handle All Types of Construction Accident Cases
When it comes to fatal accidents, there are four leading causes of death:
- Falls
- Electrocution
- Struck by object
- Causing in or between objects.
Known as the “fatal four,” they accounted for about 57 percent of construction accident fatalities annually.
Of course, any accident on a construction site can leave workers struggling with painful and debilitating injuries.
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we represent clients who have been hurt as a result of:
- Crane or hoist accidents
- Forklift accidents
- Heavy machinery accidents
- Excavation accidents
- Trench accidents
- Ground collapses
- Fires and explosions
- Gas leaks
- Exposure to toxic chemicals or substances
- Overexertion
- Dehydration
- Repetitive motion injuries
- Slip and fall accidents
- Burns
- Motor vehicle accidents, including construction-related car accidents and truck accidents
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our legal team in Clearwater for help after you get hurt on a construction site. We can listen to your story, explain your potential options for financial recovery, and help you begin to put a plan into action.
How Can I Recover Compensation If I’m Hurt in a Clearwater Construction Accident?
You’ll typically have two paths after a construction accident. First, you can seek benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. Second, you may also have the right to assert a third-party lawsuit if someone other than your employer caused your construction accident.
File a Claim for Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system in Florida, which means that benefits are available to qualifying employees regardless of who causes an accident.
Under the system, you can receive benefits for:
- Medical treatment
- Temporary disability
- Permanent disability
- Death benefits
Workers’ comp is limited to economic benefits, and wage-related compensation is subject to a statutory cap. So, you’ll only be entitled to a fraction of your lost income while you get back on your feet.
File a Personal Injury Lawsuit for Damages
You waive the right to sue your employer if you receive workers’ compensation benefits. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t initiate an action against another negligent party, such as an engineer, architect, property owner, manufacturer, or contractor.
In a personal injury lawsuit, both economic and non-economic damages are available. Economic damages offset your financial costs, while non-economic awards make up for the intangible suffering you might experience.
Damages can include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Lost job opportunities
- Rehabilitation
- Therapy
- Nursing assistance
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
Not sure what types of compensation you can get after a construction accident in Clearwater? Call our personal injury law firm to set up a free case assessment today.
Common Construction Accident Injuries
Construction sites are extremely dangerous, and laborers are vulnerable to serious injuries every moment they’re on the job.
Some commonly reported construction accident injuries include:
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Nerve damage
- Hearing and vision loss
- Eye injury
- Head injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Neck injury
- Back injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Crushing injury
- Chest injury
- Amputation
- Soft tissue damage
- Wrongful death of a family member
You need to do three important things right after a construction accident in Clearwater: seek medical treatment, notify your employer, and call a trusted construction accident attorney near you.
Is There a Time Limit For Filing a Construction Accident Injury Claim in Florida?
Yes, but the deadline will depend on how you decide to pursue compensation.
Workers’ compensation claims must be filed within two years of the date of an injury. Personal injury lawsuits are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. Before 3/24/2023, the statute of limitations was four years. A new law cut it in half. However, if you were in a construction accident prior to 3/24/2023, you will have four years to file your claim.
Once the statute of limitations expires, you will give up the right to recover the benefits and/or damages you need and deserve.
Can I Still Recover Compensation If I’m Partly To Blame For a Florida Construction Accident?
Generally speaking, fault won’t be a consideration if you file a claim for workers’ compensation. It’s a no-fault system, so benefits are available regardless of your role in causing a construction accident.
However, fault can affect your financial recovery in a third-party construction accident lawsuit. Florida has modified comparative negligence rules, which provide that damages are reduced based on fault. The more responsibility you share for an accident, the less money you’ll be entitled to get for resulting injuries and suffering. If you are mostly at fault for your accident, you will not be able to recover any money.
It will be important to fight back against victim-blaming allegations that get thrown your way in a lawsuit. Our construction injury attorneys in Clearwater will be ready to defend you at every turn.
Arrange a Free Consultation With an Experienced Clearwater Construction Accident Lawyer
No matter your trade or specialty, Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers can help you if you’ve recently been hurt in a construction site accident in Clearwater, Florida. We’ll help you exhaust your legal options and fight to get you the compensation you need to move on with your life.
Contact our Clearwater construction accident lawyers to learn more. We offer a free case evaluation and are always standing by to take your call – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our personal injury law firm in Clearwater, FL, also provides:
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- Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Clearwater
- Car Accident Lawyer in Clearwater, FL
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- Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Clearwater
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- Truck Accident Lawyer in Clearwater, FL
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- Wrongful Death Lawyer in Clearwater
