According to the New York Times more than 5,000 construction projects have started back up as the city enters phase 4 of its coronavirus recovery plan. In the rush to get back to work, NY construction workers need to prepare themselves for the possibility that contractors will cut corners on worker safety. Worksites are naturally prone to many types of construction accidents and worker injuries, the most common ones are falling object, trip and fall from unnecessary construction debris, fall from height or scaffolding, electrocution, wall collapse, and scaffolding collapse. Now work sites have the added difficulties of preventing the spread of coronavirus in addition to preventing all other types of construction accidents.
As NY construction workers are getting back to work after months of time off due to phases 1-3 of New York’s pandemic response, workers need to know their rights to protect themselves in case of a workplace accident or injury. Here are just 3 tips that every NY construction worker NEEDS to remember in case they get injured on the job:
- Immediately contact a NY construction accident lawyer so you can know your rights
Immediately means immediately, don’t wait around! The first 5 hours after an injury are the most crucial to your construction injury case. Your employer knows this too, which is why immediately after an injury you need to contact a lawyer who knows your rights and how to protect you. Keogh Crispi, are premier personal injury New York’s lawyers who know exactly how to begin your case from the moment you get injured to make sure that you get the maximum possible payout for your accident.
No matter how challenging the details of your specific construction injury, the advice of a good construction accident lawyer will make sure you get the payment that you deserve. On the other hand, if you don’t know how to protect yourself in those first 5 hours, you might not get any money at all for your potentially devastating construction workplace injury. New York construction workers need to take the time to find a good construction accident lawyer before they go back to work sites. It’s just as necessary as a hard hat or any other safety measure.
- Never trust an employer or contractor
In the event of a construction accident, your employer or contractor has just one goal in mind: not getting sued. They will try to get you to sign paperwork blaming yourself for your accident. They will use third parties to reach out to you to try to minimize their exposure. They will do everything in their power to get out of paying you because paying what you deserve after a workplace injury hurts their bottom line. You can be friendly with your employer or contractor but none of that matters if you get injured. In the case of a construction injury, the employer only wants to avoid paying for anything. Don’t let them take advantage of you!
Find an experienced NY-based personal injury lawyer to protect you from the schemes of your employer. The money that you earn from your construction accident lawsuit is necessary to cover medical costs, lost wages and disability. Your employer would be just as happy to leave you and your family in the dust instead of paying for the construction accidents that they are responsible for.
- Choose a lawyer with the trial experience to get what you deserve
Let’s imagine you found a NY-based construction accident lawyer right away after getting injured on a construction site. In this scenario you’ve done everything right so far: you haven’t spoken to your employer, contractor, or any third parties, you haven’t signed anything, and you even found an accident lawyer in the first 5 hours after your injury. But did you find the right construction accident lawyer? Did you find a lawyer with the trial experience to take your case all the way and get every dollar that you deserve? Does your lawyer know how to stand up to powerful interests like the insurance industry? Unfortunately, even if you’ve done everything right up until now you still have one important task ahead of you. You must make sure that you find the right NY-based construction injury lawyer.
The right personal injury lawyer has the experience to take your case to court. Some construction accident lawyers have no experience taking a case to trial. This kind of lawyer can get you a small payout by negotiating with your employer, but only the pressure of a trial can get you the maximum payout. Don’t leave money on the table by going with the wrong construction accident lawyer. The Trial Lawyers at Keogh Crispi have over 50 years of experience helping victims of construction accidents in New York win the millions of dollars that they deserve for their construction injury cases. Keogh Crispi lawyers understand every part of a construction workplace injury case in New York: worker compensation laws, labor law, and laws related to construction.
In an ideal world, worker safety would be the number one priority on every construction site and taking care of an injured worker would simply be the norm. Unfortunately, we live in the real world where employers will do everything they can to avoid taking responsibility for creating a dangerous workplace. NY construction workers need to know their rights whenever they enter a construction site and have a good accident lawyer ready in the event of an injury on the job.