Construction sites can be dangerous places. Debris, complex equipment, unstable scaffolding, faulty trenches, and other hazards can cause serious injuries, sending you to the hospital or interfering with your ability to work. If you’re a construction worker, an attorney from our Kokomo and Indianapolis law offices can represent you in your construction accident and bone fractures case. The team at Golitko & Daly regularly works with clients to ensure that they get the medical assistance and financial compensation they deserve in the event of construction accidents. Bone fractures are one of the most common injuries at construction sites. In fact, over 13,000 American construction workers suffered from fractures in 2008 alone. If you suffer from one or more fractures, we can help you understand and apply your legal rights so you can recover from your accident and maintain your livelihood.
What Is a Bone Fracture?
Also frequently referred to as a broken bone, a bone fracture occurs when trauma or stress causes a bone to snap or crack. As a result of a construction injury, you may experience a single fracture, where one bone breaks in one location, or a multiple fracture, which involves breaking multiple bones or two or more areas of the same bone. More severe fractures may cause the bone to break through the skin or shatter. If you experience a bone fracture, it is important to seek emergency medical treatment immediately. In addition to being uncomfortable, preventing you from moving properly, and causing swelling, an untreated bone fracture could lead to infection, blood clotting, or other more serious medical conditions.
If you believe you have fractured one or more bones, your doctor will need to take x-rays, reposition your bone so it is stable, and place a cast on it so that it can fuse back together properly. This process can be both costly and time-consuming. Depending on the seriousness of your fracture and where it is located, you could be out of work for several months or more. If your fracture was the result of a construction accident at work, you may be entitled to financial recompense to cover your lost income, as well as any necessary medications and treatments.
Documenting Your Case
Compiling legal evidence might be the furthest thing from your mind if you have to be rushed to the ER with a bone fracture, but taking pictures and getting witness statements from the site of the construction accident are important to making sure you get the payment you’re due. If you work in construction, you know how quickly sites can be taken down or changed, so it’s important to begin collecting evidence as soon as possible. Our attorneys can quickly and effectively gather the proof you need to make your case as you recover.
Protecting Your Interests
After a bone fracture, your first recourse will likely be to workers’ compensation. Our IOSHA (Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration) certified attorneys can help you file a workers’ compensation claim to help you pay for medical bills and lost income. If you do not qualify for workers’ compensation or your current amount does not sufficiently cover your expenses, we can also assist you with a lawsuit against a liable third party such as a contractor or manufacturer. If a severe fracture keeps you from working for a year or more, our attorneys can help you file a social security disability claim.
From a workers’ compensation filing to a more complicated negligence case, having our team on your side can help you get the full extent of what you’re rightly owed.
Safeguard Your Health and Rights
If you’ve suffered a bone fracture at work or want to learn more about your legal rights in a construction accident, contact our team today for a free case evaluation.