What to do if You’re Injured While Working on a Construction Site

Fall protection standards are one of the most cited OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards violated every year, contributing to over a thousand deaths due to falls, slips, and trips on construction sites. Many more construction workers are injured every single year due to negligence and recklessness on job sites, making construction work one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. As a construction worker, you can follow all the protocols and safety standards required of you, but there’s still a chance of you becoming injured while working on a site.

What should you do if you are injured while working on a construction site? The next steps you take are crucial to increasing your chances of being compensated for your injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured on a construction site, these are the next steps to take.

Get Medical Attention (Even if You Think You Don’t Require It)

Not all injuries sustained from a fall are apparent right away. Some have delayed symptoms that take days to manifest. After a fall, your body is likely to pump out adrenaline, which can tell your body to release endorphins. These hormones are neurotransmitters that can act as natural painkillers. You may not feel any pain at first; you may even be able to stand up and walk around. You may even be able to go home and go about the rest of your day normally.

This doesn’t mean you aren’t injured.

Your body can sustain significant trauma even if you’ve only fallen from a few feet off the ground. Just because you don’t feel any pain at the moment doesn’t mean you aren’t suffering from one of these hidden injuries:

• Concussion
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Internal bleeding
• Whiplash
• Broken bones
• Strained joints or muscles
• Sprains
• Soft tissue injuries

Head injuries are especially dangerous, as falls are one of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries. The early warning signs of a TBI include:

• Loss of consciousness
• Headaches
• Confusion and disorientation
• Dizziness
• Balance issues
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Disrupted sleep
• Sensory impairments
• Mood or behavior changes
• Seizures
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in the ears
• Bad taste in the mouth

If you’ve fallen on a job site, the best thing to do is remain still and allow others to come to your aid. Make sure that someone contacts emergency services so that you can be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible. Do not get up, walk around, or leave the site to go home until you have been seen by a medical professional.

Report the Accident

Once you’ve been seen by a medical professional, it’s in your best interest to report the accident as soon as possible to your employer, even if they resist having you do so. Do not let them convince you to not report the accident.

In a state like New York, if you pursue a workers’ compensation claim, you need to inform your employer that you intend to pursue coverage within 30 days of your accident. You’ll then need to submit a Form C-3 employee claim online.

Be thorough in the information you provide on the accident. Gather as much information as possible from coworkers, witnesses, the site foreman, and anyone else you can speak with. Some of the information you’ll want to collect and provide when making your report to your employer includes:

• The date and estimated time of the incident
• Where the incident occurred
• The names and roles of any people involved in the incident, or those that witnessed it
• The injuries you have sustained (as outlined by your medical professional)

Make sure that everything is documented in writing when making your report. Do not rely on simply telling someone about the incident; ensure that it has been written down or recorded in some way. Go as far as to ask for a copy of the report after it has been made.

Gather Information and Document Everything

Continue to document everything as you move through the process, including things like:

• Your doctor’s appointments
• Any other care you receive for your injuries
• Any out-of-pocket expenses you have to pay for care, devices, etc.

It’s also important to gather as much information about the incident as possible. If you are able to, get statements from those who were involved in the incident or those who witnessed it. Take photographs of the area and of any objects, tools, etc., that were involved. It’s important to get a good depiction of the scene as there could have been some type of safety equipment that was required to be on site, but not provided. The more information you gather, the more likely you will be able to obtain some type of financial settlement or judgment in your favor (should you choose to pursue legal action).

Finally, keep a record of all communication you have had with your employer from the time the incident occurred.

Contact a Construction Accident Lawyer

Construction accident attorneys can help you navigate the process of pursuing a personal injury or workers’ compensation case for your construction site accident. At Morelli Law, we have worked with clients to help them recover millions of dollars in financial compensation for their injuries.

It’s important to get started right away. The state of New York has a statute of limitations on construction accident complaints, but there is more time if the case is filed as a personal injury claim. Even if it has been a year or two since your accident, you can still file a claim, and we can help you.

If you or a loved one has been injured while working on a construction site, contact the construction accident attorneys at Morelli Law today. We’re ready to help you fight for compensation based on construction site accident losses. Get in touch with us by calling or sending us a message online. We will set up a free consultation and evaluation of your case.