Expert Chattanooga Construction Injury Lawyer: Protecting the Rights of Injured Workers

Construction employs a significant number of Americans, with 7,605,000 employed in the industry as of March 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is one of the most dangerous types of jobs, with approximately 150,000 construction accidents per year, resulting in innumerable injuries and an average of 1,000 worksite fatalities annually.

At Wettermark Keith, our lawyers take a stand on behalf of injured construction accident victims in Chattanooga and throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. We help injured construction workers, as well as bystanders and drivers, fight for fair compensation for their damages through available legal outlets. If you think you might have a claim, don’t delay. Contact our local law firm today to arrange a free legal consultation.

Why Retain Our Lawyers?

• We have practiced personal injury law, including construction accident law, for more than 50 years combined among our attorneys.
• We are trusted construction accident lawyers in Chattanooga, with a positive reputation built on successful case results, plus many awards and accolades.
• We have the power to obtain large settlements against powerful corporations, but we also provide legal counsel on thousands of small injury claims each year.
• We represent Chattanooga construction accident victims on a contingency fee basis. Our attorneys only charge clients for successful cases, and only after they win.

How a Lawyer in Chattanooga Can Help

When you suffer a life-changing injury at a construction site, the site manager or construction company won’t be quick to take responsibility or offer a suitable settlement. Whether it’s your employer or you were a pedestrian or driver passing through a construction site, the company will have an aggressive legal team to dispute your claim and save the company money. When you hire an attorney, you can match the defendant’s power with your own. Your lawyer can prevent a construction insurance company from taking advantage of you during the claims process.

“Fatal Four” Construction Fatalities and Injuries Causes

Construction is a specialty at our personal injury firm due to the frequent and often catastrophic nature of these tragic accidents. Statistics consistently name construction the deadliest industry in the U.S. each year. The construction industry recognizes several common accident types, “The Fatal Four.” They are responsible for most worksite deaths and injuries.

• Falls, especially from roofs, scaffolding or staging, ladders, and structural steel
• Caught-in/between accidents, including cave-ins, being drawn into working machinery, being crushed between moving objects or between a moving and a stationary object, or being crushed by a moving hydraulic bed
• Being struck by a vehicle, piece of construction equipment, or falling object
• Electrocutions, including contact with power lines, live parts of electrical equipment or tools, damaged or exposed wires, or defective equipment or tools; improper use of electric cord and extensions

If you or a member of your family has become a victim of a Tennessee construction site accident, you should waste no time in consulting the personal injury attorneys at the Chattanooga law firm of Wettermark Keith. You have just one year from the date of your accident to file a claim, in most cases, under Tennessee’s strict statute of limitations.

Injury Types That Commonly Occur in Construction Work

Negligent actions taken by other workers, foremen, managers, vehicle operators, or contracted employees have the potential to cause serious injuries. In some cases, these actions tragically lead to the wrongful death of one or more people. Injuries sustained by workers in construction accidents can include:

• Chemical Burns
• Loss of Hearing
• Blindness
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Brain Injuries
• Broken bones
• Back and neck injuries
• Muscle tears
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Serious illnesses
• Permanent disabilities
• Wrongful Death

Speak with an experienced construction injury attorney at our law firm today if you have been injured or lost someone close to you. All too often claims of workers’ compensation do not adequately meet the needs of the victims of these accidents. A claim of personal injury or wrongful death against the negligent party responsible may be the only way to recover financially from one of these accidents.

Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims in Construction Accidents

Injuries and fatalities on construction sites usually fall under workers’ compensation, a no-fault work injury insurance that covers medical expenses, time off of work, and rehabilitation costs, or in the case of a fatality, a death benefit.

Workers’ compensation does not, however, compensate the victim or family for non-economic losses like pain, suffering, disfigurement, and diminished quality of life. Workers’ compensation also does not reimburse 100 percent of your lost wages. You’ll only be eligible to recover two-thirds of the income you lost, up to Tennessee’s weekly earning cap.

If you or someone in your family has suffered a construction site injury, workers’ compensation precludes you from suing your employer. However, in many cases, a sharp attorney will be able to identify third parties whose negligence or manufacture of a defective product contributed to your accident and can institute a claim on your behalf against them, making it possible for you to receive compensation for your non-economic damages as well.

At the Chattanooga, Tennessee, law firm of Wettermark Keith, we frequently handle construction site accidents and have a team of experts on call to help investigate. In many cases, our investigation will uncover third-party negligence, OSHA violations, or product liability that can add to the value of your claim. Potential third-party defendants might include sub-contractors, architects, premises owners, engineers, or manufacturers of equipment and tools equipment used in the trade. We believe that you have the right to compensation for all of your damages, and we have access to the resources needed to prove third-party liability, which will often make a much greater award possible.

Laws Your Claim Might Involve

At Wettermark Keith, one of our first tasks as your attorneys will be to investigate your construction site accident and uncover who or what caused your injuries. We will then use this information to craft our legal strategy according to your unique needs. Your case could involve one or multiple legal doctrines depending on the facts involved.

• Negligence. If you settle for workers’ comp, you won’t need to prove negligence. During an injury suit in the civil justice system, however, you or your lawyer will need to establish a breach of duty of care to obtain compensation from the defendant.
• Product liability. If a defective product, tool, or piece of equipment caused your construction site injury, your case might involve the doctrine of product liability. If strict liability laws apply, you won’t have the burden of proving negligence.
• Premises liability. A premises liability claim might be appropriate if your injuries occurred due to property defects, such as exposure to asbestos in the walls of a house and related mesothelioma.

Rules of negligence, fault, liability, statutes of limitations, and more may apply to your construction site accident claim in Chattanooga. It’s important to meet with an attorney as soon as possible after suffering an injury at a construction site in Tennessee. That way, you can get the information you need to proceed with a claim while protecting your rights under state law.

Experienced, Proven Legal Representation for Your Tennessee Injury or Wrongful Death Claim

At Wettermark Keith, our attorneys are committed to justice for everyone whose life has been damaged because of someone else’s wrongdoing, and our record proves it: our firm has brought in more than $800 million in compensation for our injured clients and boasts a 95 percent success rate.

We offer a free case review where we will review the facts and circumstances of your accident and discuss your legal options with you. If you decide to hire us to represent you, we will immediately launch an investigation, often calling upon a team of construction experts, including architects, engineers, occupational safety experts, and others to determine all potentially liable parties, and will help you institute a Workers’ Compensation claim. We will obtain all of your medical records and, when necessary, will bring in qualified physicians to assist in establishing the extent of your impairment and your prognosis.

Contact a Construction Accident Attorney in Chattanooga Today

The sooner you act to protect your rights, the better for your construction accident claim. The lawyers at Wettermark Keith are prepared to listen to your accident story, determine your rights, and explain them to you for free during an initial consultation. The time to file a personal injury claim is limited by Tennessee law, so it is important to act now. Call or contact Wettermark Keith today to protect your right to a full and fair recovery.