Rockaway Beach Building Collapse Lawyer
Although structural failures are rare in the United States and other developed countries, building collapses still occur and often result in life-altering or life-threatening injuries for multiple victims. Determining fault in these catastrophic incidents can take years, leaving those affected to manage unexpected expenses and losses on their own.
Fortunately, you do not have to be alone after this kind of incident because you have help available from experienced construction accident attorneys who know exactly how to handle complex cases like this. If you have been hurt in a structural failure while working a construction job, while living in or visiting an unsafe building, or under any other circumstances, contacting a Rockaway Beach building collapse lawyer should be among your top priorities.
Who Could Be Liable for Building Collapse Injuries?
In the aftermath of a building collapse, the process of investigating what caused the collapse and who is to blame for it in legal terms often involves both state and federal-level authorities working together to create a comprehensive picture of the disaster through thousands of pages of evidence. That kind of scenario can be a uniquely challenging one to construct a personal injury lawsuit within, but it is by no means impossible.
Even prior to the completion of a formal investigation into an accident like this, it may be possible to assign civil liability through traditional negligence to people like:
- The building’s owner(s) and/or managers
- Suppliers that provided defective building components
- Individual contract workers who failed to act safely during active construction
- Construction companies that staffed a construction site with unqualified workers
- Maintenance crews and other people who failed to conduct proper inspections to ensure a building remained safe over time
A Rockaway Beach building collapse attorney can discuss legal options and possible courses of action toward financial recovery during a private initial consultation.
Recovering Through Workers’ Comp Versus Personal Injury Litigation
On that note, skilled legal counsel can sometimes help pursue more than one recovery option at once after a building collapse. For example, if a structural failure occurs during construction, an injured worker performing job-related duties may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits through their employer.
These benefits may include reimbursement for all reasonably necessary medical treatment for collapse-related injuries, a significant portion of lost work income, and potentially death benefits in the event that the incident has fatal consequences for a worker involved. That said, physical pain and suffering and other non-economic forms of harm would not be compensable through this sort of claim, and as a building collapse lawyer in Rockaway Beach can further explain, it is not possible to recover twice for the same losses through both workers’ comp and third-party litigation.
Contact a Rockaway Beach Building Collapse Attorney for Help
Being inside or even near a collapsing building is one of the most frightening experiences anyone can have. Unfortunately, it also very often has life-changing consequences, which—largely because of that—makes for uniquely challenging grounds for a strong personal injury claim.
In a situation like this, it can be more important than ever to have the support of a seasoned legal professional from start to finish of the litigation process. Call today to learn what a Rockaway Beach building collapse lawyer could do to help you.
