St. Louis Construction Accident Lawyer
Goldson Hoekel, LLC represent individuals who have been injured in St. Louis construction site accidents, including injured workers, contractors, and subcontractors, in St. Louis and throughout eastern Missouri.
St. Louis Construction Injuries Attorney
According to the California Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, there are over 11 million construction workers building and maintaining our roads, houses, workplaces, and infrastructure in the U.S. This is only about eight percent of all U.S. workers; however the construction industry accounts for 22% of all reported fatalities. This is the largest number of fatalities reported in any industry.
St. Louis construction work is inherently dangerous and includes such hazards as working at heights, excavations, confined spaces, deafening noise, harmful dusts and fumes, power tools, heavy equipment, electricity, and even dangerous chemicals. These dangers can cause traumatic injuries such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, or brain injuries; burns; musculoskeletal disorders; or even cancers and other latent diseases.
St. Louis Construction Safeguards
Because of the high rate of construction accidents, both Missouri and federal laws require employers in the construction field to provide significant safeguards to prevent employee injuries and deaths. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), created by federal law, requires employers to ensure that the workplace is free of known dangers. OSHA sets forth safety and health standards that are particular to the construction industry, including requiring safeguards to ensure protection from falls, prevent trenching cave-ins and ensure that workers safely enter confined spaces, prevent infectious diseases and exposure to harmful substances like asbestos, provide respirators and other safety equipment, and provide training for certain dangerous jobs.
Recovering for Injuries
When injuries do occur despite safeguards, generally a worker must promptly notify his or her employer and file a St. Louis workers’ compensation claim. Because of the inherent danger of St. Louis construction work, Missouri law requires that all employers in the construction industry maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover the costs of injuries. Therefore, workers’ compensation benefits may be your sole source of compensation if you are injured while at work.
However, you may be entitled to file a St. Louis personal injury claim if your employer does not have the required insurance, you are not an employee, or someone other than your employer (a third party) caused your injuries through a negligent, reckless, or wrongful act. For example, property owners and contractors may be held liable for the costs of your injuries or other damages if they failed to provide sufficient safety measures or otherwise acted negligently. In addition, construction equipment manufacturers may be held liable if you are injured by a defective product, or by one that is dangerous and does not contain adequate warnings or instructions.
St. Louis Accident Recovery
Because construction site accidents frequently involve issues of both St. Louis workers’ compensation and St. Louis personal injury or St. Louis wrongful death claims, it is important to speak with a firm that is experienced in both areas of the law. At Goldson Hoekel, LLC we have over 36 years of combined legal experience, and we can help you receive the compensation to which you are entitled. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.