Providence Construction Accident Lawyer
Construction is one of the country’s most important industries, and one of the most dangerous. In fact, more than one in five worker deaths occur in construction. With proper training, supervision and the right kind of safety equipment and procedures, construction work can be made much safer. Property owners, developers and contractors are obligated to provide a reasonably safe working environment, and when they don’t, they can and should be held liable for injuries caused in a needless, preventable construction accident. Providence construction accident lawyer Michael Kiselica helps personal injury victims in Rhode Island get the medical care and compensation they need after a serious or catastrophic injury on a construction site.
What are the greatest risks for construction accidents in Rhode Island?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has identified the leading causes of construction accidents. These “fatal four” types of accidents are:
Falls – Workers need to be provided with the right type of ladder for the job. Workers on scaffolding and other work from heights need to be provided with harnesses, belts, nets and other appropriate safety equipment.
Struck by object – Tools and equipment on heights need to be properly secured and kept where they are least likely to fall and strike a worker on the ground or a lower level. Crane operations need to be conducted by trained personnel, with workers warned about the dangers of swinging booms and pulleys.
Electrocutions – Electrical cords should be secured to the surface and ground fault protection utilized on all energized spaces. Attention must be paid toward overheard power lines for workers using scaffolds, cranes and cherry pickers, as well as underground cables for workers engaging in excavation projects.
Caught-in/between – Forklifts and powered industrial trucks should be equipped with functioning backup alarms adequate to the environment they are operating in. Scaffolds and cranes should be set up by trained professionals to prevent collapse. Trenches must be adequately shored to prevent cave-ins.
These fatal four kinds of accidents could be largely prevented with the right level of attention and care and the right kinds of safety equipment from those in charge of the site. Yet the OSHA safety standards which would prevent these types of accidents are consistently the standards most often cited for violations on Rhode Island construction sites. This fact demonstrates how better supervision and attention to safety on a construction site could prevent the many needless construction accident injuries and deaths which occur every in Providence and throughout Rhode Island.
How do injured workers recover compensation after a Rhode Island construction accident?
Most workers are aware that they are entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits to help with medical expenses and wage loss replacement after an on-the-job injury. Many workers, however, mistakenly believe that workers’ comp is the only source of compensation available to them after a workplace accident. This is not always the case. When a third party (not the employer or employee) is responsible for causing the accident, then the injured worker can sue that third-party for negligence.
The Kiselica Law Firm focuses on helping injured construction workers bring these third-party liability claims to hold responsible parties accountable for their negligence and help the injury victims recover the full amount of compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Rhode Island construction accident attorney Michael Kiselica handles a diverse array of construction accident cases, including falls, TBI and concussion injuries, and wrongful death from electrocution.
Examples of third-party negligence claims that arise in the context of Rhode Island construction accidents include:
- A contractor negligently erects a scaffold or uses substandard materials
- A crane brought on site by a third party is improperly set up or operated negligently
- A third party drives on to the site to deliver materials and strikes a worker or unloads materials in a negligent manner
- A worker is injured in a car accident by a negligent or distracted driver while driving between work sites or traveling to pick up materials or supplies
- A worker is injured by defective tools or machinery which were designed or manufactured defectively
- The owner of the construction site premises fails to repair or warn about dangerous hazards on the property unrelated to the construction project.
Get the Help You Need after a Rhode Island Construction Accident
If you’ve been injured in a construction accident in Rhode Island or a loved one has been injured or killed in a construction accident, call the Kiselica Law Firm at 401-421-0300 for a no-cost consultation. Our Providence construction accident lawyer will let you know if you have a valid claim, and we’ll devote ourselves to getting you the care and compensation you need to recover as fully as possible from your injuries.
