HOUSTON CONSTRUCTION
ACCIDENT LAWYER

Protect Your Rights with the Best Houston Construction Accident Lawyer

Houston is a beautiful and dynamic city that is constantly growing. If you look closely, you’ll notice that there are new office buildings, neighborhoods & shopping malls, and it’s all because of the hardworking Houston construction workers.

Like employees in other industries, construction workers trust that their contractors and employers will keep them safe. Unfortunately, some companies prioritize profits before worker’s safety and treat the construction crew as disposable. They are left to work in unsafe environments for long hours, and this often results in serious accidents.

If you or your loved one has been involved in a construction accident, you deserve fair compensation and shouldn’t have to settle for less. Your future and that of your family may depend on it. If you’re seriously injured, this could be the difference between simply getting by and maintaining your previous lifestyle before the accident.

Main Types of Construction Accident Claims That We Handle  

At Baumgartner Law Firm, we believe in aggressively fighting for your rights by getting you full compensation. We know how much construction accidents can impact your financial future and are committed to upholding your rights.

Some of the Houston construction accidents we’ve handled in the past include.

Scaffolding Accidents

When construction crews are working on high buildings, scaffolding comes in handy and helps them repair the building or carry on the construction. Unfortunately, some of these structures are poorly constructed and are not as safe and secure as they should be. This causes the scaffolding to tilt, shake or collapse, causing serious harm to the workers around it.

Fatal Falls

According to the CDC, falls are the top cause of work-related deaths in the construction industry. This is highly concerning because construction sites usually have raised structures and are full of dangerous debris that can cause fatal slip and fall accidents. For instance, when a construction worker slips and falls, they can land on machinery, open chemicals, dangerous debris, and nearby tools. This then results in injuries such as lacerations, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, cuts, and lacerations, etc.

Lift Accidents

These types of accidents are relatively rare, but when they do occur, they are catastrophic. They are caused by faulty lifts mostly due to poor maintenance, and when they occur, they expose the workers inside it to a deadly fall, resulting in serious injuries and sometimes death.

In some cases, lift accidents are caused by exposed elevator shafts that are improperly secured.

Burns on Construction Sites

Construction sites are full of exposed wires, open power sources, and dangerous machines, all of which could result in serious burns when they’re mishandled. In some cases, construction site burn accidents are caused by electrical faults and chemical spills. The severity of injuries caused by this type of accident vary, but they often result in disfigurement, loss of limbs, and in some instances, loss of nerve control.

Crush Injuries

Most construction sites are elevated, and the company must build structures up to give workers access to the higher levels. When the crew is working above ground, there’s an increased risk of dropping tools, small machines, or construction materials, causing devastating injuries to the workers below or bystanders.

Dangerous Equipment

Construction machinery is often complex, which is why it should only be operated by authorized personnel. Unfortunately, in a misguided attempt to cut costs, construction companies often allow uncertified employees to handle the equipment without any prior training. This then poses grave danger to the other workers and may result in accidental fires, pinning employees underneath the machine, or dropping of building materials.

Trench Cave-Ins

Trenches within the construction site sometimes collapse, and workers inside it could be trapped inside or sustain serious injuries due to the falling debris. Some of the most common trench cave-in injuries include spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and death due to suffocation.

Chemical Exposure

Construction sites are full of adhesives, paints, primers, and cleaners. While these chemicals are necessary for quality construction, they pose a serious threat if mishandled. Constant exposure without proper training or safety gear could also result in long-term illnesses.

What Are the Common Types of Houston Construction Injuries?

The severity of construction site injuries ranges from mild cuts to wrongful death. Some of the common injuries that Houston construction workers face include.

• Crush injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Permanent disability
• Permanent nerve damage
• Impalement
• Eye injuries
• Amputations
• Bone fractures
• Eye injuries
• Severe lacerations

Some of these injuries have lasting implications and may affect your ability to resume work.

Who Is Responsible for a Construction Accident?

If you work with a construction company that has workers’ compensation insurance, you’re entitled to receive benefits without having to prove fault. Unfortunately, in Texas, employers are not required to carry worker’s comp. This means that if your contractor isn’t insured, you’ll have to prove fault.

Some of the responsible parties in construction site accidents include:

• Contractors or relevant third parties: most construction jobs are collaborative, and it’s not uncommon for your employer to use other contractors. If this third party is responsible for the accident, they should be held liable.
• Your employer: employer negligence is common in construction sites and usually results in serious accidents. Negligence, in this case, could be in the form of failure to provide workers with the necessary training, lack of proper supervision, improper maintenance of the machines, etc.
• Product manufacturers: this is mostly for situations where your injuries are a result of toxic chemicals in their products or due to defective tools.
• Property owners: if they created hazardous working conditions due to negligence, you could file a claim against them.

Construction accidents are often complex, which is why you should hire a Houston construction accident lawyer to help you with your case.

What Compensation Can I Get for a Construction Accident Injury?

The compensation awarded varies based on the unique details of your case, but you’re entitled to recover economic and non-economic damages. Our personal injury lawyers have helped recovered damages for victims for over three decades. Some damages available are:

• Lost income
• Mental anguish
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Medical expenses incurred due to the accident
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Loss of consortium
• Disability
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering
• Mileage expenses and costs for assistive devices

You should note that in the event of wrongful death, compensation is often awarded to the worker’s surviving family members and their estate.

Seek Legal Advice from an Experienced Houston Construction Accident Attorney Today!

The statute of limitation for Houston construction accidents is 2 years from the time the accident occurred. Filing your claim after this time has passed will only result in a dismissal.

When you’re involved in a construction accident, avoid negotiating with the insurance company of the defendant. We recommend that you channel all communication through your Houston construction accident lawyer to avoid sabotaging your case.

Have you or your loved one sustained construction injuries in Houston, Texas? Contact us today or call us on (281)587-1111 for a FREE consultation!

What are My Options to Recover Compensation After a Construction Accident?

In the event of any construction-related accident, seek the advice of a lawyer familiar with Texas state laws as well as federal laws to go over the options you have available.

First, it is important to understand your rights under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act. These benefits are available regardless of fault and provide medical care to treat the injury as well as partial income benefits to replace a portion of lost wages. If your employer or a coworker’s negligence caused an accident, you may be able to recover benefits for your injury.

Providing workers’ comp benefits protects employers from liability in a personal injury lawsuit, though. So workers may be unable to sue their employer for injuries they sustained on the job site when they are covered by workers’ comp.

However, when a third party is to blame for construction-related injuries, the worker may pursue compensation from the third party via a lawsuit. These types of cases are a type of personal injury lawsuit and are not uncommon in construction accident cases given the many parties involved in construction projects. We will analyze the facts at hand and advise you on the best course of action possible.

Third-Party Lawsuits for Construction Accidents

Some of these third parties may include:

• Owners of the construction site;
• Architects of buildings on the site;
• Subcontractors;
• General contractors; or
• Equipment manufacturers.

All of these third parties can be responsible for providing a safe and standards-compliant construction site. In the event of a construction-related accident, we will review all of these and any other associated parties to determine if a third party might be liable for your damages. Our personal injury lawyers have been winning cases for Texas families for over three decades.

If someone else contributed to the accident, you must establish the third party owed you a duty of care, violated that duty by acting negligently, and that you suffered injuries and damages as a result of the negligence. So if a piece of equipment is defective and causes your injuries, you may be able to pursue compensation from the manufacturer in a product liability case.

We have handled numerous multi-million dollar cases for construction accident victims and their families. Our construction accident attorneys have won cases against subs, general contractors, equipment manufacturers, and property owners. From trench cave-ins to fatal falls, our lawyers have never lost a construction accident case.