Construction accident compensation claim solicitors

What is a construction site accident?

Construction sites can be dangerous. Machinery, heavy building materials and working at height are just some of the potentially risky things that feature in everyday construction work. While there are usually many safety precautions in place on a construction site, unfortunately accidents do happen. Falling from a height or being hit by falling materials can cause serious and even fatal injuries. 

A construction accident injury is usually where you have experienced a personal injury in an unforeseen incident. Construction site accidents and the injuries that result from them can have a long-lasting physical effect. If you've been injured, you'll know that the accident can also impact on your finances and personal wellbeing if you're out of work for a while as you recover.

What types of accidents happen on a construction site?

So, what are the main causes of accidents in the construction industry? 

• Falls from a height - Falls are a common cause of accidents on a construction site. Workers can fall from scaffolding or ladders, causing broken bones, fractures and back or head injuries. In some cases, these falls can be fatal. According to HSE figures for 2014-2019, 25% of all fatal injuries were falls from a height and over half of these were in the construction sector. 
• Falling objects or building materials - Another common construction site accident is caused by falling objects. Here you might be working on a job at ground level when someone working higher up accidentally drops something. Alternatively, something might not be secured properly and it falls into your path before you have a chance to move out of the way. 

In these cases, you could experience anything from minor cuts to serious head injuries.  

• Defective equipment - Many different types of machinery are used in construction, from fork-lift trucks to cement mixers. Employees require full training to operate these, but even if they are fully trained, accidents can still happen. For instance, a switch might catch or there might be an electrical fault. 

Employers are responsible for providing you withsafe equipment that's in good working order. If you're injured because the equipment is defective, you might be able to make a construction accident injury claim.  

• Electrical hazards - If you're working with a lot of electrically powered tools, it's important that these tools are in safe working order and that the risk of electrocution is assessed and reduced as much as possible. 
• Trip hazards - Cables, building materials, and machinery all take up space on a construction site. Accidents happen if these are left in unsafe places on the site. Similarly, any holes that aren't clearly marked can be dangerous. 
• Excessive exposure to noise - Construction sites can be noisy. Power tools tend to be loud and if drilling work is being carried out over a few weeks, for example, it can have a lasting impact on your hearing. 

What do you do after a construction accident?

If you've been injured in a construction accident, your role is to protect yourself. At the time of the accident, you probably won't know the injuries you've sustained so you'll need to stay very still. Someone will need to call for the site manager to check on you and assess what happened. 

Your manager's job from there is to make sure that the area is safe and that no one is at further risk. They might need to clear your colleagues away from the scene and they're responsible for shutting down machinery to stop any more accidents taking place. During this time, they'll also need to make sure someone has called for medical help so you can be checked over and taken for treatment. 

If any of these steps weren't followed, for instance, they failed to call for an ambulance, they could have behaved negligently towards you. It's important that you know this. While the events that led to your construction accident injury might already make them negligent, how your manager reacted to the incident can also add to this. 

Whatever happened, if you feel you might be able to make a construction site accident claim, it's worth getting in touch with us. We'll ask you questions about what caused the accident and how your manager behaved afterwards. This information will tell us if we think you could make a successful claim for construction accident compensation.

Is there a time limit for claiming for construction injury compensation?

There is a time limit in place, so it's worth speaking to us as soon as you can if you want to make a claim. In most cases, these claims need to be made within three years of the accident happening. We always suggest starting the claims process as soon as you can after the incident as you're more likely to remember what happened clearly.  

There are situations where the three-year time limit may be different. If you were under 18 when your accident happened, you can make a claim any time from your 18th birthday to your 21st birthday. Also, if you suffered severe head and/or brain injuries which meant you lacked the capacity to claim, you may also have longer to seek compensation. 

We'll advise you about these time limits, however. So, if you have any questions about how long you have to claim compensation, or you're nearing the three-year deadline, get in touch for advice from our friendly team of construction accident lawyers. 

Will I lose my job if I make a claim?

If you'd like to pursue a claim after being injured at work, it's important to know that you cannot be dismissed. You are entitled to seek compensation if someone has failed in their duty of care to you, resulting in your injury. Your manager must work under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which states that they must ensure your safety when you're working for them.

How much compensation could I get if I win? 

Unfortunately, we can't tell you how much compensation you could get if you win your construction injury claim. This is because it depends on what happened, the severity of your injury and the length of your recovery period. 

If you decide to take up your claim with us, we will look at different factors to work out the compensation you might get if your case is successful. This will cover how severe your injuries are, financial losses you've had, and how the incident has impacted on your life. 

We'll also look at:

• Earnings you've lost while off work recovering
• Costs you've had to cover that relate to your injury, such as medical bills
• Any changes you've had to make to your home or car because of the construction accident
• Any impact your injury has had on your quality of life
• If the incident has impacted on your mental health 

Can I make a no win no fee claim?

Many of the construction injury claims we work on are made using no win no fee agreements. This means that if you lose your claim, you don't have to pay your lawyer any legal fees. 

If you win your claim, your solicitor will typically make the following deductions from the compensation you are awarded:

• A ‘success fee' for winning the claim.
• The other side will usually be required to make a payment towards your legal costs -  and expenses but any shortfall may also be deducted from your compensation.
• The cost of the premium for any legal protection insurance you may have needed to ensure your claim is risk free.

You keep the rest and this will always be the majority of the compensation awarded to you. The deductions we list above will only be made when your compensation is paid. There are no upfront costs and no hidden charges.

This can be a great option as there are no financial risks to worry about, as long as you have the right insurance in place. Don't worry if you don't have insurance - we can organise that for you.  

In some cases, no win no fee may not be available. We'll let you know as soon as we think this might be the case with your claim so that you can decide if you'd like to go ahead or not.