Rockaway Beach Construction Site Slip and Fall Accidents
If you lack experience on construction sites, you might assume that the greatest hazards are heavy machinery and materials. However, slipping and tripping accidents cause more injuries than any other type of incident, often resulting in long-term or life-altering consequences.
If you have been hurt through a Rockaway Beach construction site slip and fall accident, you may have more than one option for seeking financial recovery in the aftermath. That said, if you want to make the most of those options and ensure you can protect your best interests as effectively as possible, you should strongly consider seeking help from a seasoned construction accident lawyer before trying to pursue a workers’ comp claim, file suit, or take any other kind of legal action on your own.
Common Causes of Accidental Falls on Construction Sites
Slip and fall injuries on Rockaway Beach construction sites can stem from a variety of both obviously dangerous and seemingly innocuous circumstances, most often including things like:
- Inexperienced workers on site
- Unsecured or defective ladders
- Lack of non-slip material on walking paths
- Lack of safety equipment such as harnesses
- Lack of properly secured handrails and/or platforms on scaffolding
A fall caused by these or any other hazards at ground level can cause serious injuries on its own, especially if it leads to a worker landing head-first or back-first on an unforgiving surface. However, the somewhat unique risk of a slip and fall during construction work is the possibility of it being from very high up in the air, making it much more likely for a life-threatening injury to occur even if the affected worker is wearing site-appropriate safety gear. Support from legal counsel can be critical to recovering fairly after this latter type of incident.
Taking Action Quickly After a Construction Site Injury
If a slip and fall accident at a construction site in Rockaway Beach leads to someone classified as an employee suffering an injury while on the job, that employee should have access to workers’ compensation benefits through their employer. However, they must formally notify their employer of their injury ideally as soon as possible after it happens and absolutely no more than 30 days after first discovering they have sustained it, or else they will have a lot of difficulty successfully filing a workers’ comp claim.
Along similar lines, anyone with grounds to sue a third party other than their direct employer over negligence leading to their slip and fall injury typically has three years at most to formally file suit. Otherwise, New York Civil Practice Law & Rules §214 would almost certainly bar them from ever seeking recovery for that particular injury since they violated the statute of limitations applicable to their claim.
Contact a Rockaway Beach Attorney for Help After a Construction Site Slip and Fall Accident
Accidental falls can lead to any type of person suffering a serious injury, with young children and older adults being at exceptionally high risk. Construction site workers also have a uniquely high risk of suffering severe injuries through this type of accident, not just because of the environments in which they work but also because of how high off the ground they may be while performing that work.
You have help available recovering fair financial restitution for the damages you have experienced through a Rockaway Beach construction site slip and fall accident. Contact us today for a free consultation and case review.
