If you live in a major urban area, construction zones are no shock to the system. From downtown renovations in active business areas to traffic construction on the highway, constant improvements are a reality of living in the city. What if you are injured in one of these construction zones? Who is responsible? Should you pay the bill for careless safety procedures? The answer is no; you are hardly liable for injuries sustained in areas you have no control over.
A common construction zone injury is slipping due to unsecured wood boards. Often these boards are laid down to allow pedestrians to walk over torn-up ground while the rest is being worked on. This is an effective and generally safe process, as long as the boards are properly reviewed and replaced at regular intervals. If they become warped, wet, or begin to separate, someone could easily trip and fall. Particularly women who wear heels on a regular basis should be careful when walking near these boards, as a caught heel could result in a broken ankle.
Another common injury is from falling debris. Construction requires a certain amount of destruction of the area; however the area below must be kept free of people or be covered. If debris begins falling into a populated area, serious head and neck injuries could result.
What should you do if you are injured due to something like this, or another construction zone related injury? You will most likely be hospitalized, at least for a time, and file a report with the supervisor. After that, who pays for your bills? Even if you are insured, the insurance company will want to know where you were injured and how it occurred. Injuries that seem simple, such as neck pain, can result in thousands of dollars in medication and specialist (such as chiropractors) bills.
If you are injured in a construction zone, your first move should be to contact a personal injury attorney. A personal injury lawyer will represent you in all matters concerning your injuries to include contacting the responsible party and negotiating a settlement. If you are up against a hardheaded group, they will take your case to court and demand payment for your injuries. While in this situation you will either be on bed rest or back to work, so you can hardly be expected to handle the case yourself. Moreover, most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, so they do not get paid if you don’t. If you’ve been injured in a construction zone, contact a personal injury lawyer immediately.
By: Cias Hart
About the Author:
Cias Hart is a veteran and resident of Phoenix. If you’ve been injured in a construction zone in the greater metro area, contact a Phoenix personal injury attorney immediately. Don’t hesitate and risk losing money which is owed to you due to someone else’s negligence. You should consider contacting a Phoenix personal injury lawyer to have on retainer should you find yourself injured as well; the time after an injury is no time to go searching through the yellow pages.