What are your legal options after a construction accident?

Illinois residents are used to seeing construction projects around town, as recent economic conditions have allowed investors and developers to pursue new buildings, both residential and commercial. But, it can take quite a few workers to make those developments a reality and, unfortunately, those workers may be in harm’s way each day they report to the construction site. If an accident occurs on a construction site, what are the legal options for injured workers?

The most important legal option is usually a workers’ compensation claim. When an accident occurs on the job site, there will likely be an investigation into how the accident occurred. The investigation will usually focus on how any injuries that were involved in the accident occurred, so as to take preventive measures to attempt to make sure that injuries don’t occur again in similar situations. The workers who were injured in the accident are expected to report the injury to the employer as soon as possible and seek the appropriate medical treatment.

A workers’ compensation claim is needed when an injured worker is unable to return to the job for a period of time due to the injury. If approved to receive workers’ compensation benefits, the injured worker will receive some financial benefits to offset the lack of income due to the injury.

Sometimes, a claim for workers’ compensation benefits simply isn’t enough. There may have been more serious oversights on the employer’s part. If there are credible allegations of wrongdoing that led to the worker’s injury, a personal injury lawsuit may be a possible legal option.