Gulfport Construction Accident Lawyer

Have you suffered injuries in a construction accident? The dangerous conditions on a construction site can cause devastating accidents that lead to life-altering injuries and disabilities. However, you could file legal claims to obtain compensation or workers’ comp benefits that can help you during your recovery. Turn to a Gulfport construction accident lawyer from Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, to advocate for your rights and interests.

Our heavy machinery accident lawyers combine decades of legal experience to serve people who have challenging legal problems after accidents on construction sites. At our firm, you can expect us to prioritize your case. We strive to provide the highest quality legal representation possible. Our skilled litigators prepare every case as if it will go to trial. This strategy enables us to present a strong case on your behalf and show insurers and construction companies that we won’t back down until we recover the compensation and benefits you deserve.

When you’ve gotten hurt in an accident on a construction site, you have options for getting the money you need for your injuries and losses. Contact us at (228) 872-8752 or fill out our online form for a free initial case evaluation to discuss your legal options with a construction injury compensation attorney.

How a Gulfport Construction Accident Attorney Can Help with Your Case

When you’ve suffered harm due to a construction accident in Gulfport, getting legal help for construction accidents can give you a better chance of securing the maximum financial recovery under the law. A construction accident attorney with Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, can help you pursue your legal options for obtaining financial relief and accountability for your injuries by:

Investigating the accident and obtaining evidence we can use to build your claims
Evaluating available avenues for financial recovery, including your eligibility for workers’ comp or a third-party injury claim
Documenting your injuries and losses and calculating your future anticipated needs to ensure we pursue full financial recovery for you
Preparing and filing your claims and dealing with company representatives and insurance adjusters while you focus on your treatment and rehabilitation
Vigorously pursuing the financial benefits and relief you need, whether through negotiated settlements or when litigation becomes necessary, through formal workers’ comp claims or personal injury lawsuits

What Compensation Can I Pursue for Injuries from a Construction Accident?

It’s unlikely that your employer will have an on-site construction legal advisor for their employees, but you should seek out a lawyer after getting hurt on the job at a construction site. You may have the right to seek workers’ compensation benefits, and a lawyer can explain how to file a claim to get the benefits you need.

Benefits available under Mississippi’s workers’ compensation system include:

Medical benefits, which cover the cost of all reasonable and necessary medical treatment for a work-related injury
Partial reimbursement of travel expenses to/from medical appointments or procedures
Temporary total disability benefits, which pay two-thirds of a worker’s average weekly wage
Temporary partial disability benefits, which reimburse two-thirds of the difference between the worker’s average weekly wage and their reduced income while under medical restrictions
Permanent partial disability benefits, which pay financial benefits based on the nature and severity of a partial disability
Permanent total disability benefits, which continue wage loss benefits when a worker remains totally disabled from employment after reaching maximum medical improvement of their work injury
$25 weekly benefit (payable for up to 52 weeks) when enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program

As a worker injured in a construction accident caused by a third party unaffiliated with your employer or as an innocent bystander injured in a construction site accident, you may also have the right to pursue compensation in a personal injury claim for:

Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation of your injuries
Costs of long-term care and support, such as home health services or housekeeping
Lost wages/income from missed time from work or reduced earnings while in a part-time/light-duty role on medical restrictions
Loss of future earning potential or job benefits after becoming permanently disabled from working
Pain and suffering
Loss of quality of life caused by permanent disabilities or visible scarring/disfigurement

A Gulfport construction accident case lawyer can review your case to determine what compensation you may be able to recover.

How Long Do I Have to File a Construction Accident Lawsuit in Mississippi?

Under Mississippi’s statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits, you typically have three years after a construction accident to file a third-party claim against those responsible for causing the accident. However, if you have a workers’ compensation claim following a construction site accident, the law requires you to give notice of your claim to your employer within 30 days of the accident. You also have two years to file a formal workers’ compensation claim with the state workers’ compensation commission.

Talk to a building site accident lawyer from Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, as soon as possible after a construction accident to ensure you can file your claims on time. If you file any claim after the relevant deadline expires, you may lose your opportunity to obtain financial benefits or compensation for your injuries.

Can I Sue My Employer for a Construction Accident Injury?

In most cases, you cannot sue your employer in a personal injury lawsuit for injuries you sustained in a construction site accident. Mississippi’s workers’ compensation law makes filing a workers’ comp claim your sole remedy from your employer. However, certain exceptions to this exclusive remedy doctrine may entitle you to pursue a personal injury claim against your employer, such as:

Your employer has failed to obtain workers’ compensation insurance or qualify as self-insured.
You suffered an injury that does not qualify as an “injury” compensable under Mississippi workers’ compensation law.
Your employer caused your injury due to intentional or willful actions “substantially certain” to cause workers to suffer injuries.

What Are Common Types of Construction Accidents in Mississippi?

At Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, we often handle these types of construction site accident injury cases:

Scaffolding accidents
Ladder accidents
Defective tool, equipment, and machinery accidents
Equipment/machinery entanglement or pinning
Fires and explosions
Crane accidents
Forklift accidents
Backhoe accidents
Bulldozer accidents
Truck/motor vehicle accidents
Trench/building collapses
Falls from heights
Falling object accidents
Electrocutions
Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents

What’s the Difference Between a Workers’ Compensation Claim and a Third-Party Claim?

Workers’ compensation and third-party injury claims provide employees injured at work with different avenues for financial relief.

Workers’ compensation acts as a no-fault remedy that allows employees to obtain medical treatment and partial reimbursement of lost wages after suffering a work-related injury. Employers with five or more employees must provide workers’ comp benefits whenever an employee sustains a work injury. The employee does not have to prove that their employer bears any fault for causing the work injury.

Conversely, a third-party claim allows an injured worker to seek compensation from a third party other than their employer whose negligence, recklessness, or fault caused the workplace accident. However, a third-party claim requires an injured worker to prove that the third party caused the accident that harmed the worker.

Can I File a Third-Party Claim for a Construction Accident While Receiving Workers’ Compensation?

After suffering injuries in the course of your job in a construction accident, you typically have the right to file a claim with your employer for workers’ compensation benefits. However, when your injuries occurred because of the negligence or fault of a third party unaffiliated with your employer, you can also file a personal injury claim against that third party.

Filing a third-party claim has benefits even though you’ve received workers’ compensation. For example, a third-party personal injury claim may allow you to recover compensation for financial and personal losses not recoverable from workers’ compensation, such as pain and suffering.

But if you recover compensation in a third-party claim, you may have to reimburse your employer or its workers’ compensation carrier from your third-party claim recovery for workers’ comp benefits you received. A construction worker injury lawyer can help you maximize your financial recovery from workers’ comp and a third-party injury claim.

What Are Common Causes of Construction Site Accidents?

Construction site accidents have various causes, typically involving hazardous conditions that injure workers and passersby. Some of the most frequent causes of construction site accidents include the following:

Lack of fall protection from elevated areas, such as scaffolding or unfinished structures
Failure to secure objects from falling from elevated areas
Failure to clear the site of slipping or tripping hazards
Missing, removed, or defective guards or safety protections on tools, equipment, and machinery
Defective construction tools/equipment/machinery
Failure to maintain equipment and machinery
Exposed electrical wires/power lines or failure to implement safety precautions when working near power lines
Lack of shoring or other protections in trenches
Improper storage of flammable or toxic construction materials
Failure to locate utility lines, such as gas pipes or power lines, before excavating or tearing down/drilling into walls
Improper erection of scaffolding or cranes
Improper use of heavy machinery such as forklifts or backhoes
Allowing untrained/unlicensed workers to operate heavy machinery

Contact a Construction Accident Lawyer in Gulfport Today

After suffering injuries in a worksite accident, turn to a construction site injury lawyer from Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, for legal services that can pursue your legal options for compensation. Contact our firm at (228) 872-8752 or fill out our online form today for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn how we can help you secure the compensation you need for medical care, lost income, or pain and suffering from your injuries.