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Hawaii Construction Accident Lawyer

If you have sustained a serious injury while on the job, you need to consult with an attorney regarding your rights and responsibilities. Construction sites can be especially risky workplaces, considering the number of hazards that exist wherever heavy machinery and scaffolding are used. Every year, many construction workers one out of every 10, by some estimates suffer an injury or illness, or even die, as the result of an accident on a construction site. Indeed, the industry accounts for 20% of workplace fatalities in the United States, although construction workers total only 6% of the workforce. This is the largest number of fatalities reported for any industry sector.

The injuries that befall construction workers range from overuse injuries such as back problems, to dismemberment and brain injury caused by defective machinery or falls from heights. Other common injuries include burns, lacerations, strains or sprains, broken bones, chemical exposure, and bruising. Workers on construction sites are exposed to the potential for great danger every day, even though most sites follow strict health and safety rules. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces standards concerning workplace safety and health, and individual construction site managers may have extra safety protocols in place, but even the strictest precautions cannot prevent every accident from happening.

Many things can cause accidents on construction sites, including the negligence of other site workers, mistakes and negligence caused by those under the influence of alcohol or drugs, inappropriate behavior of other site workers, or defective machinery or products. Other accidents may simply be the result of conditions onsite. Defective scaffolding, machinery, forklifts, or other machinery, supplies or structures falling, or other hazardous conditions or environments may all set the stage for a construction site accident.

Your employer could be liable for the accident, as could another worker at the site, a contractor, or the manufacturer. A lawyer will be able to determine who is held responsible based upon the facts provided and the circumstances surround the accident.

If the responsible party is your employer, the matter of your accident and your consequent injury or injuries will be covered under workers' compensation laws. Hawaiian construction companies and employers are required to purchase workers' compensation insurance so that their employees can be covered in the event of an accident, but this system is also in place to prevent employees from bringing excessive or unfair lawsuits against their employers. However, there may be incidences in which the injured employee will have a personal injury lawsuit against another party involved in the construction project, such as an architect or engineer, a subcontractor or a product or machinery manufacturer. Once you have retained the services of a Hawaii construction accident attorney, he or she will be able to evaluate the circumstances of your particular accident and determine the liable party or parties.

There have also been situations in which a non-employee has been injured at the construction site. Materials can be left on the sidewalk near or outside a construction site can cause a passerby to trip and fall; material falling outside of a site can hit and injure a bystander. Even toxic chemicals or other airborne toxins can be dangerous to people who are in the vicinity of a construction site but not employed there.

Regardless of the specifics of the accident, an excellent Hawaiian construction accident lawyer attorney understands the legalities involved and is prepared to fight for their clients. They believe that if you are injured at a construction site, compensation should follow. Hawaii construction accident attorneys know the business of construction law inside and out. Their experience and expertise combine to make them your best ally if you've suffered an injury on a construction site, whether as an employee or as an innocent bystander.

After any injury that has been sustained on a construction site, the first step is to inform the construction company, to seek a medical evaluation, and then to contact a construction accident attorney. The attorney will guide you through the process of the workers' compensation claim, or the personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, if it is determined that your case merits further action. The attorney will also act as your liaison with the insurance company, conducting all communication with them so that you don't have to.

A Hawaiian construction accident lawyer is a professional attorney who knows how to represent a construction worker who has been the victim of a serious injury, or the family of a worker whose accident resulted in his or her death. An attorney can effectively help you win full compensation for your pain and suffering. While you recover from the debilitating accident that occurred on a construction site, let a qualified and experienced Hawaiian construction accident attorney handle your case, so that you can receive the compensation to which you are entitled.