Injured while you were working on a construction site? You may be worried about how you’ll pay the medical bills and keep your household running. You could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
If you are in this situation, you need a construction accident lawyer in Kansas City from Presley and Presley Trial Lawyers. Call our office today for a free, no-obligation consultation about how we can help. Your case review is fully confidential, and you pay nothing unless we successfully resolve your matter.
How Do Construction Accident Claims Work in Kansas City?
Missouri law requires employers with five or more employees to provide workers’ compensation insurance for their workers. Full- and part-time employees are covered, but independent contractors are not. If you are an employee who was injured on the job, you are probably entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
If your work-related injury was caused by someone other than your employer or a coworker, you may also be entitled to file a third-party personal injury claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company or against that person directly. A Kansas City construction injury attorney can handle both claims at the same time for you, so you can focus on healing instead of trying to figure out how to pursue the benefits or compensation you need.
How Are Construction Accident Cases Different than Other Injury Claims?
Construction accidents are much more complicated than most other injury claims. They may involve multiple contractors, each with their own insurance policies, and they often involve safety violations. These elements are important when you file a third-party claim.
Because of all the details involved in such cases, you’ll need a construction site accident lawyer working on your case to have the best chance at success. An experienced construction accident lawyer knows how to investigate the circumstances of the accident to determine all potentially liable parties. They can determine whether safety violations contributed to the accident and how to build a compelling case that shows you’re entitled to compensation.
What Are the Most Common Construction Accidents?
Construction sites are hazardous workplaces. As a result, accidents occur frequently. The ones that happen most often include the following:
- Falls from heights
- Electrocutions
- Equipment-related injuries
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Burn injuries
- Trench or structure collapses
- Struck-by/caught between injuries
- Machinery accidents
A scaffold accident lawyer from Presley and Presley Trial Lawyers can guide you through the claims process to pursue the benefits you’re entitled to.
What Should I Do Immediately After a Construction Accident?
When you get injured while working on a construction site, you can take steps to protect your health and your workers’ compensation or third-party claim. If your injury was catastrophic, you must first seek medical care. Otherwise, you can proceed by doing the following:
- Advise your employer of the accident.
- Call 911 and emergency services to report the accident.
- Attend all doctors’ appointments and obey their instructions.
- Don’t provide any insurance company representative or adjuster with recorded statements.
- Stay off social media, as insurers can use what you post against you.
- Keep copies of all medical records, receipts, and any documentation related to the accident.
- Write down everything you remember about how the accident happened.
- Don’t accept any settlement offers until an attorney reviews them.
- Contact a construction injury lawyer in Missouri to handle your case.
What Compensation Can I Recover After a Construction Accident?
In Kansas City, workers’ comp construction benefits include the following:
- Medical Care – Workers’ comp will pay for authorized treatments, prescriptions, and devices.
- Lost Wages – You can get temporary total disability payments if your doctor keeps you completely off work because of your injuries. These payments are two-thirds of your pre-injury average weekly wage. If, while you’re healing, you must return to part-time or restricted work that pays less than your pre-injury wage, you could be entitled to temporary partial disability benefits. These benefits are two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and your current wages, as long as they don’t exceed 70 percent of the state average weekly wage.
- Disability Benefits – If your injury results in permanent impairment that prevents you from ever returning to any kind of work, you may receive permanent total disability benefits. These benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage, and they’re paid for life. If you suffer a permanent impairment to a part of your body but you can still work, you may be entitled to permanent partial disability benefits. The amount of these benefits depends on the part of the body you injured, your wage, and your disability rating.
- Line of Duty Compensation – Survivor benefits are available to the surviving family members of first responders and other frontline workers.
If you file a third-party claim, you can seek compensation for your present and future medical expenses, the full amount of your lost income, future lost earning capacity, and pain, suffering, and other personal losses, like loss of enjoyment of life.
Can I Be Fired for Filing a Claim?
No. If your employer fires you for filing a workers’ compensation claim or discriminates against you for having filed one, Missouri law gives you the right to file a civil suit for compensation. You may be unable to file such a claim if you intentionally injured yourself or if you were impaired by alcohol or drugs at the time of the injury.
Why Hire Presley & Presley for a Construction Accident Case?
Presley and Presley Trial Lawyers is a law firm that is dedicated to representing injured people who have suffered catastrophic injuries. We handle complex, high-value construction accident cases and have the extensive resources and litigation experience required to succeed. Our case results demonstrate our skills. We have recovered millions for our clients, including $12,000,000 for our clients who were injured in a power plant explosion.
Our satisfied clients often leave reviews about their experiences with our firm, including this one from our client, S.R.:
“Presley and Presley was really great to work with. The firm did an amazing job getting to the bottom of the matter. They didn’t take NO for an answer. They worked very hard and got the justice we deserved. I would definitely recommend them. Thanks again, Presley and Presley!”
Our industrial site accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing up front, and you won’t owe any legal fees unless we secure compensation for you. If you don’t get paid, neither do we.
Contact Our Kansas City Construction Accident Attorneys for Help
The sooner you contact an experienced construction accident lawyer, the better your chances of having a successful claim. Call Presley and Presley Trial Lawyers today for your free, fully confidential consultation.