Legal Liability for Construction Accidents
If you are hurt in a construction accident, your ability to recover depends on a number of factors, such as liability, indemnity, and whether applicable safety regulations were followed. On large construction sites, more than one company could bear responsibility, including the owner or developer, design and engineering professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, and equipment and material suppliers. Because of the tricky nature of determining the potentially at-fault parties, you should hire a construction accident lawyer Memphis, TN trusts in construction-related injury cases as soon as possible.
More times than not, the General Contractor on a project enters into subcontracts with multiple subcontractors and equipment and material suppliers. For example, for the electrical work on a project, the General Contractor will enter into a separate subcontract with an Electrical Contractor. Each separate subcontract will then explain whether the subcontractor has safety responsibilities and whether the subcontractor owes an obligation to indemnify (i.e., be responsible for and pay) the General Contractor or Developer for any liability arising out of construction accidents. The wording of these contracts is very important. However, in most cases, the General Contractor is responsible for overall safety on a work site.
It is important to know a potential responsible party’s degree of control over the premises where the accident happened and the status of the injured person. In some cases, if the person injured is an employee of a subcontractor or contractor, the employee will be able to recover certain benefits through the employer’s workers compensation policy. Whether the employee can also bring a personal injury lawsuit for damages, such as pain and suffering, against other responsible parties varies from state to state. Bystanders, or people who aren’t working on the construction site, may also be able to recover for injuries, depending on the circumstances.
If you or a family member is injured on or around a construction site, you may be able to recover for your damages. We recommend that you hire a construction accident lawyer Memphis, TN trusts who will know how to investigate each aspect of your case to properly determine liability.
Thanks to our friends and contributors at Patterson Bray who have significant experience fighting for serious injury victims.