IT'S MORE TO US, IT'S PERSONAL
HIRE A SKILLED BIRMINGHAM CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT LAWYERS
IF YOU'RE SEEKING CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION ATTORNEYS, CALL WETTERMARK KEITH, CONSTRUCTION ATTORNEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL.
The City Federal Building under construction in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Birmingham Public Library
Construction workers have been the backbone of American innovation since the founding days of our country. The early settlers, dating back to the 1700s, developed techniques for building homes to keep their families safe from harsh, unknown conditions. Between 1870 and 1890, the number of railroad tracks in the country tripled thanks to the early railroad workers, made up of a melting pot of immigrants, who forged a path across the United States for pioneers to discover the West. After World War I, the thriving post-war economy allowed for a Baby Boom, as well as a huge influx of immigrants, which in turn, caused a massive housing boom.
Mass production techniques that developed from the home-building process during the housing boom encouraged massive infrastructure projects like the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, which was the beginning of the U.S. interstate highway system. In the early 20th century, America led the “first great age” of skyscrapers, especially taking off in cities like Chicago and New York. The city of Birmingham, AL, took part in this movement with the construction of the City Federal Building in the early 1900s, which officially opened its doors in 1913 and continues to stand today.
Construction of the Alabama Theatre (1927) Courtesy of bhamwiki.com
Throughout the history of the construction industry, one thing can be certain: the conditions were harsh. The railroad workers endured long days and cold nights, while those who worked on skyscrapers risked their lives at tall heights with no safety equipment to keep them from falling to their deaths.
As our country continues to build and innovate through the hands of our country’s construction workers, we want to make it our priority to help keep them safe.
WE CAN HELP TELL YOUR STORY.
As a construction worker, you go to work every day, enduring dangerous conditions and operating high-risk machinery, to take care of your loved ones back at home. Unfortunately, while you’re on a job site working hard for your company, they often fail to do the same for you. While construction workers are vital to the growth and maintenance of our communities, the construction industry often fails to maintain a safe environment for its workers.
Between careless drivers, defective machinery, and work done at great heights, there are many construction site accidents that happen in Birmingham, Alabama each year. Construction workers suffer from a numerous amount of injuries; in 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recorded that 4,764 workers died on the job, making construction worker fatalities a growing issue across the country. If you’ve had a construction accident or a family member experienced wrongful death, contact Wettermark Keith for legal representation by a Birmingham construction law lawyer.
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON CAUSES OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA?
As of April of 2021, 29,400 people were employed in construction in Birmingham, AL. Many of these Alabama construction workers face construction project safety violations every year that can result in workplace-related injury or even workplace fatalities. According to OSHA, the most common accident types can be described as “the fatal four” and follow as listed:
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Falls
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Caught-In or Caught-Between
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Struck-By
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Electrocution
If a worker is injured or killed by an accident type listed above, or one that has gone unlisted, they or their family are entitled to employ the services of a Birmingham construction law lawyer when pursuing justice. In previously recorded Birmingham, Alabama cases, the most common causes for injury include:
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Falling
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Car accidents
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Defective equipment
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Employee or management negligence
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Unsafe construction sites
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Faulty or insufficient safety gear
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Unenforced safety practices
While construction workers should stay aware of the occupational hazards of their careers, they should also feel protected by those that they work for, yet that is not always the case. Ideally, no construction worker would ever have to face a workplace injury, but, when they do, Wettermark Keith’s construction law lawyers in Birmingham are ready to help.
FOLLOW THESE STEPS IF YOU WERE INJURED ON A CONSTRUCTION JOB SITE:
Step 1: You must report the accident. 
If the injury did not cause an immediate medical injury where the paramedics were called, the supervisor of your job might not know that you were hurt on site. In order to obtain Worker’s Compensation benefits, you must fill out a First Report of Injury form with the project owner and/or your construction supervisor. Do this as soon as you possibly can after you contract an injury.
Step 2: Make sure to collect documentation of the incident.
If you are able, you need to take documentation of the injury. Pictures on you or your co-workers phone of the scene of the accident and any visual injuries will suffice. Those involved in the case will want to view the incident. It’s also important to know who was there at the time of the incident. If you don’t already have them, take their names and phone numbers in order to secure witnesses. Finally, make sure to take down the model number and name of any machines involved in case it is removed from the scene. You need to provide all involved with a full profile of the event.
Step 3: Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Get your injuries treated as soon as possible! It is extremely important for your health and safety, as well as for your claim, that these injuries are recognized. In order to prove your claim, you need to have medical documentation of your injuries or condition.
Step 4: Consult with an experienced construction accident attorney.
Since the claim process for construction law can often become complicated and drawn out, it is important to obtain a construction law attorney who is familiar with Worker’s Compensation cases, construction injuries, and wrongful death incidents. You need to focus on your health and recovery and let an attorney, like us at Wettermark Keith, handle all the stressful work.
OUR LAWYERS CAN HELP RECTIFY DAMAGES IN A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT LAWSUIT
Many personal injury claims never become lawsuits. A lawsuit is when a particular case is taken to court. That being said, our construction law lawyers in Birmingham, Alabama are willing to take your construction law case to court when your insurance company or employer won’t give you the compensation you deserve.
In this case, there are monetary damages that you, the plaintiff, would bring against the defendant, the property owner or your employer.
Though this list is not comprehensive, some damages you may include when filing injury claims are:
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Lost wages
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Pain and suffering
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Medical bills
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Loss of quality of life
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Out-of-pocket expenses
In general, the types of damages you can claim in a construction accident lawsuit fall into two categories: pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages. The word “pecuniary” simply means money, so pecuniary damages refer to damages that affect your monetary well being. Non-pecuniary damages refer to damages that are not necessarily monetarily valuable, like emotional distress.
Each state has its own regulations as far as what type of damages can be claimed in different circumstances. It takes the legal expertise and experience of a Birmingham, Alabama construction law attorney to effectively carry out personal injury litigation within these state guidelines in your favor.
HOW CAN ATTORNEYS PROVE AN INJURED WORKER'S CASE USING ALABAMA
CONSTRUCTION LAW?
A workman's injuries require several proofs before benefits are awarded from an insurance claim or your employer. Depending on the nature of your injury claim, you and your personal injury attorneys will be responsible for a burden of proof that shows that your employer was liable for the workplace events leading to your injury.
In most every case, you must prove that your employer was guilty of professional negligence in their duty of care to maintain a safe work environment. In addition to this, you must also prove that the dangerous conditions led to your being wrongfully injured. This is difficult, but with the help of construction law attorneys in Birmingham, proving fault will be much simpler since they are aware of construction law issues.
WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE A CONSTRUCTION LAW ATTORNEY IN BIRMINGHAM, Alabama?
You may be tempted to put too much trust in your insurance company or your employer when pursuing a construction accident claim. In reality, there’s no substitute for legal experience. Hiring Birmingham construction lawyers gives you the power of knowing that you’ll be getting what you deserve, meaning you won’t be cheated by your insurance’s low-ball settlements for your workers’ compensation.
You should hire a construction accident attorney when you’re severely hurt. As you heal, the last thing you’ll want to deal with is the legal paperwork, negotiations, and legal research it takes to get you justice. Hand off this hard work to a construction law practice in Birmingham, and not only will you save your own time, but you’ll likely end up with a better insurance payout due to our experience with Birmingham construction litigation.
WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS WHEN CONSIDERING LIABILITY FOR YOUR INJURIES?
If you were to file for construction site injuries without the help of an attorney, you might not know about the other options that are available for your case. For instance, if your injuries were due to unsafe conditions in your workplace, you could be eligible for premises liability via a third-party claim in addition to your workers’ compensation insurance claim. Likewise, if your construction company was using a tool that was faulty and caused your injury, you may be eligible for a product liability claim, as well.
For families of workers who were fatally injured on construction projects, there are options for you, as well. OSHA will likely run safety inspections to further investigate your loved one’s death. That investigation will give your lawyer a better idea of the type of compensation that your family is entitled to.
There are many legal options available for all injured construction workers, from minor injuries to lifelong physical disabilities. What’s important is having a lawyer that knows what you and your family deserve.
WETTERMARK KEITH: BIRMINGHAM CONSTRUCTION LAW ATTORNEYS
Almost any Birmingham construction accident attorney will promise you higher settlements, faster results, and top-notch customer service. What these people won’t tell you is that the most important thing in winning accident cases is experience, and, here at Wettermark Keith, our construction accident lawyers in Birmingham, Alabama have just that.
With offices located throughout Alabama, Tennessee, and now Florida Wettermark Keith’ has an excellent reputation as one of the most accomplished personal injury firms in the country with a diverse range of practice areas including on the job inquiries. At Wettermark Keith, we believe in taking cases personally. The best way to win a construction law case is to tell your story-- your pain, your suffering, and your needs. At Wettermark Keith, we know exactly how to do that because, at the end of the day it's about you, not us.
NO RECOVERY, NO FEE– GUARANTEED!
Throughout our practice area in the state of Alabama, we have years of serving injured workers behind us, as well as a large sum in settlements that we’ve won. Therefore, we never ask for anything from you unless we win your case. We choose to operate this way for the benefit of you, our client. Our goal is for you to have the most successful recovery possible, so let us take care of the rest.
CONTACT US FOR A CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION LAWYER TODAY!
When you're ready to start filing your claim, you can talk to our attorneys at Wettermark Keith by setting up a free consultation. Call us at (205) 952-0480 to speak to a representative about your case today! You can also fill out our online form or chat with us online. We’ll talk to you compassionately during your case review and look into additional options for you, including a workers' compensation claim. Contact us today and see what our law office can do for you.
According to OSHA, the most common accident types are falls, caught-in or -between, struck-by, and electrocution, and can be described as “the fatal four.”
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