Who is Responsible for an Accident Occurring at a Construction Site?

Construction sites are hazardous areas. Often the construction goes on for weeks or even months. Until the project is finished, much of the site is unstable. Construction workers have helmets, steel-toed boots, and other protective gear to protect them in the case of potentially falling materials or other dangerous accidents on site. During off-hours, however, many cars, pedestrians, and others may pass by the site with absolutely no protection at all and may suffer serious injury or even death. If you or a family member has been a victim of an accident near a construction site, an Indianapolis construction accident attorney and Indiana construction accident lawyercan help you with your case.

According to the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there are four main kinds of accidents that cause serious injury or death on and around a construction site:

• Electrocution
• Falls
• Getting struck by an object
• Getting caught in or between materials

Construction workers are not the only ones who are at risk of these injuries or fatalities. For example, anyone walking by a construction site could be struck by an object that was not secured or electrocuted by an unnoticed, ungrounded wire. Furthermore, cars driving through road construction may be involved in accidents due to uneven roads, objects in the road, or lane closures that are not properly marked. A Fort Wayne construction accident lawyer can give you more guidance on your case.

For instance, in Indiana a three-car accident recently occurred near bridge construction, stopping traffic for about an hour. In Chicago, a woman was riding her bicycle by a construction site when a temporary mesh fence that had not been fully secured came loose in the wind, tangled in the bicycle, and caused her to crash. The woman suffered a head fracture and severed ligament in her hand, requiring surgery. The examples are nearly endless.

If you are injured near a construction site by no fault of your own, the construction company can likely be held completely liable for your injuries, especially if your injury was caused by a lack of care on their part. If workers failed to properly secure materials or ensure that the perimeter of the construction site was safe, you could be able to bring a lawsuit against the construction company for negligence to recover for your injuries. Our South Bend construction accident lawyer can help you withfree consultation.

However, if you wandered onto the construction site of your own accord, or failed to obey signs warning pedestrians or drivers to stay clear of the site or directing traffic, your recovery may be lessened due to the doctrines of comparative or contributory negligence. This means that your failure to follow signs or trespassing onto the site helped cause your injuries, and therefore the construction company should not be held fully liable. In short, if you are injured on or near a construction site, it is important to call an experienced Indianapolis personal injury attorney or Hammond, IN construction accident lawyer to discuss your claim and help you get maximum reimbursement for your injuries.