Construction site accidents are very common and can range from minor to fatal. The BLS estimated that around 150,000 construction accidents happen every year in the United States. Insurance should cover you in most instances, but there are cases when things are a bit complicated. You might soon realize that your construction company cares more about their bottom line than you and the insurance company is not on your side. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why you should consider hiring an attorney after a construction accident.
You’ll Get Access to their Legal Expertise
The first reason why you should work with an attorney is so you can take advantage of their experience. They will be able to answer any questions that you have, but more importantly, allow you to avoid potentially disastrous mistakes. Insurance companies will not hesitate to use dirty tricks to get you to incriminate yourself or try to invalidate your claim. A lawyer will explain how to handle an injury if you’re a construction worker, and the steps you need to take to get full compensation.
They will look over the whole facts of the case and have experts to retrieve important information that could help you. They will then be able to tell you what you can realistically expect to get and the proper course of action to take.
Help You If Your Claim Has Been Denied
Like we mentioned earlier, you should be covered under your insurance scheme if you were injured during work or on the job site. But there are cases when your claim might be partially or totally denied. This can be incredibly distressing to you if you have lost income and are dealing with serious injuries. This is another situation where an attorney could help.
They Can Help You With Negotiations
There are also cases when you might be able to file a claim directly against your employer. This is often when there’s negligence involved. If it was proven that they were negligent, you may be able to file a liability claim against them. Here, you will either have the choice of going to court or settling.
Settling does not necessarily mean that you get less. Lawyers will often ask for a large portion of the judgment if they have to represent you in court, and it’s understandable when considering all the extra resources that have to be deployed.
Having a master negotiator by your side will be essential. It’s also important that you choose a lawyer willing to go all the way for you, and they need to have the track record to prove it. Check how many times the lawyer has gone to court and the judgments they were able to get. This will let you know if they’re pushing for a settlement for your interest, or because they don’t want to bother with going to court.
These are all major reasons why working with a construction accident attorney could be a good idea. If you feel like you’re being slighted by your employer or their insurance company in any way, we suggest you consult one right now.