Macon
Construction Accident Lawyer

Construction accidents, unfortunately, happen very frequently. Even though there are safeguards in place, construction is inherently dangerous, and people can get hurt even when trying their best to be as safe as possible. If your injuries are caused by negligence, you deserve to get justice.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, you need the assistance of a highly skilled and professional construction accident lawyer in Macon. Get the “Strong Arm” John Foy at John Foy & Associates for a free consultation and case review. Let a Macon workers’ compensation lawyer assist you with your claim today.

Common Causes of Construction Accidents

Every construction accident is unique. However, many construction accidents have a common theme. Some construction accidents are caused by the negligence of the company running the site. Other construction accidents are caused by the negligence of coworkers or independent contractors. Some of the most common causes of construction accidents are:

Breaching Safety Precautions

Construction workers should make sure to follow the safety precautions that were created and exist to keep them safe. Unfortunately, sometimes people do not follow the safety precautions, causing unnecessary risk to everyone at the site. Failure to uphold strong safety precautions is considered negligence. 

Unreasonably Dangerous Job Site Conditions

Sometimes, the construction site will be unreasonably dangerous. This may be because of exposed wiring, poor safety precautions taken, or other hazards. If you are injured by dangerous conditions on a construction site, you may have grounds for a construction accident claim. 

Errors of Maintenance

Another common cause of construction accidents is improper or erroneous maintenance of construction equipment. Poor maintenance or negligent maintenance can cause equipment and heavy machinery to malfunction. Numerous construction accident injuries can be linked to malfunctioning equipment and machinery. 

In some cases, workers can get caught in the malfunctioning parts of equipment and suffer catastrophic injuries to their limbs. In other cases, a loose bolt can become a projectile if not properly secured. Exposed wires on poorly maintained equipment can create an electrocution hazard.

Workers’ Compensation in Georgia

Workers’ compensation is a program that your employer is obligated by law to pay into in case you get injured on the job. Typically, if you are injured on the job, your only remedy is workers’ compensation. There are benefits and disadvantages to this. 

A benefit is that if you are hurt on the job, you will usually not have to prove wrongdoing by your employer. However, a disadvantage is that workers’ compensation awards are set by law, not decided by a jury.

Workers’ Compensation Award

If you are injured in a construction accident while doing construction work and cannot work another job, your award is calculated by state law as a percentage of your pre-accident income. You will receive, as compensation, two-thirds of your average weekly wage for as long as you cannot work–for a maximum of $800 per week.

If you are able to go back to work, but only to a lower paying job, you can still receive a slightly lower benefit for no more than $533 per week for a maximum of 350 weeks, or a little more than six-and-a-half years. This way, you are still taken care of even if your injury only stops you from making as much money as before.

You Need a Lawyer to Help at Your Workers’ Compensation Hearing

While you are not required to have a lawyer for workers’ compensation hearings, your employer will almost certainly be represented by one. This is why the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation recommends that you have an attorney help you through your workers’ compensation case.

To make sure that your interests are adequately represented, you need the help of a highly skilled and professional construction accident attorney in Macon to help you get the workers’ compensation benefits that you deserve.

If You Are Not a Construction Worker and Are Injured in a Construction Accident

If you are not a construction worker and you are injured in a construction accident, your remedy is different. If you are not injured while at work, workers’ compensation does not apply to you, and you will have to sue the construction company responsible for your injuries. This will mean that you will have to prove that the construction company was negligent. 

One small exception to this is if, for example, you were injured at work in a construction accident while your workplace was under construction, in which case you would also seek workers’ compensation. Proving that a construction company negligently hurt you is typically not a difficult thing to do. You will only need to prove that the construction company did something or acted in such a way that was less careful than a reasonable construction company in the same or similar circumstances would have acted. 

For example, if you are hurt by falling debris off of a construction site, this will almost certainly be sufficient to prove that the construction company was negligent. However, negligence is, more often than not, an issue for the jury. Therefore, you need the help of a highly skilled and professional Macon construction accident lawyer to help make your case to the jury and get you the justice that you deserve.

Contact a Macon Construction Accident Attorney Today

Have you or a loved one been injured in a construction accident? Or do you or a loved one work in construction and have been injured on the job? If so, you deserve compensation for your injuries. You need the help of a skilled construction accident lawyer in Macon to help you get the justice that you deserve.

The “Strong Arm” John Foy has nearly 30 years of experience helping people injured in construction accidents. Contact John Foy & Associates today for a free consultation and case review.