Did you or a loved one get hurt on the job and need legal help? Check out these 4 construction accident questions we often get asked, then call our lawyers.
1. Choosing a Construction Accident Lawyer
When you’re involved in a construction injury case, one of the questions you have to ask yourself very quickly is, how do I choose the lawyer to represent me in this case and help me get a fair and full settlement with the insurance company? Well, that’s a good question. You have to look for one. You have to find an attorney that has experience in trials in construction accidents. You have to find an attorney who has experience handling injury cases. You need to find an attorney who is not afraid to take on the insurance company and is willing to put in the time and effort to do that. You need to find an attorney who will help you and prepare you for your deposition so there’s no surprises. You need to find an attorney that will make sure you have no surprises. You need to find an attorney who does focus groups, who will be able to tell you what the average juror will say about your case. There are a lot of lawyers who say they have experience, but a lot of lawyers just want your case to settle. Make sure you hire a lawyer who will handle your case and not pass it off to an associate. Make sure the attorney you hire is a person who genuinely cares about you and understands your situation because if you can’t work, you don’t make any money, and cases can take a while. You need to hire a lawyer you feel comfortable with.
2. Construction Accidents and Workers’ Compensation
The workers’ compensation system in Oklahoma has gone through some changes in the last several years. It’s a more difficult system to be fully compensated. It still provides medical treatment. It’ll still provide lost wages. It’ll still provide permanent impairment. It’ll still supply total permanently impairment. It’s not a perfect system. It doesn’t compensate you as well as it used to, but it’s all we have, and for a lot of people, it turned out to be a good thing. Workers’ compensation is there to help workers who are injured on the job to be able to get medical treatment and receive a fair wage for the time they’re off while they’re seeking medical treatment. It is a system that you definitely need to hire a lawyer for. Because it’s not something the average person can do on their own.
3. Construction Accident Liability
In construction injury cases, one of the questions that comes up all the time is, “Can I sue my boss or my employer?” Generally, the answer is no, not in Oklahoma. The reason this is, is that workers’ compensation has been put in place to compensate an employee for any injury they receive on the job. Injuries on the job could occur from many things. They could occur from defective equipment. They can occur because of third-parties, other construction workers, or other employees. You may have a claim against these other people, depending on the facts and situation, depending on what happened, and if the equipment was defective in some way. As a general rule in Oklahoma, you cannot bring an action against your employer if you’re injured on the job or in a construction case.
4. Construction Accident Benefits
In construction injury cases, there are a lot of benefits you can receive. You can get the same benefits you would in a car wreck case. You can get your medical bills paid. You get lost wages. You get permanent impairment. You can get future and past pain and suffering. A lot of times, workers’ comp is involved. Workers’ comp is a good system, but it’s not a complete system and it’s not going to make you whole. If you’re injured by a third-party on the work job, then that’s a good thing for you as far as getting more money. You can bring actions against a third-party for the same injuries. You’ll have to reimburse workers’ comp for some of the money they paid out, but you will probably be better off if you have a third-party to bring an action against. An example of this: if you’re in a company truck and you’re hit by another company’s truck with a driver, you’ll have a claim not only for workers’ comp, but also against that third-party construction company or third-party sub-contractor who hit you.
It’s very technical. It’s kind of confusing to most people. That’s why you need to seek a lawyer out as soon as you can, so they can help navigate you through this. It’s not difficult for an attorney to help you get a full recovery.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured at a job site and have questions? After reading the answers to these 4 construction accident questions, contact a Stillwater construction accident attorney at Murray Law Firm today for a free confidential consultation and case evaluation. Let our experience work for you.
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