Many construction projects—from office buildings to new homes to roads—involve demolishing existing structures before new construction can begin. The demolition process is dangerous, and workers and people nearby can be injured or even killed.
Contact a Reno demolition accident lawyer at Shook & Stone when you or a loved one gets hurt during demolition activity. Our skilled construction injury attorneys can review the circumstances and offer guidance about your legal options. They could help you pursue the maximum amount of compensation available in your specific case.
Causes of Injuries at Demolition Sites
Demolition usually involves multiple people and sometimes multiple contractors working in a confined area. Depending on the project, demolition could involve heavy equipment and explosives. Demolition requires extreme caution and accuracy.
People are sometimes careless, or they make mistakes, and injuries occur. Some of the frequent causes of injuries occurring during demolition include:
- Shrapnel
- Heavy equipment accidents
- Falls from a height
- Scaffolding collapses
- Structure collapses
- Exposure to hazardous material
- Electrocution
- Fires and explosions
Defective jackhammers and other equipment used in demolition also could cause injuries.
Most demolition accidents are preventable. An attorney at Shook & Stone could investigate to determine whose actions or inaction contributed to the incident. In many cases, a person injured in a demolition accident in Reno could hold the negligent parties financially responsible for their injuries.
Pursuing Damages Against the Negligent Parties
The legal meaning of negligence is failing to take proper and reasonable precautions to prevent harm to others. When a person, company, manufacturer, or government agency is negligent, they are responsible for compensating an injured person’s losses.
When you get hurt in a Reno demolition accident, your losses could include:
- The cost of medical treatment
- Reduced income
- Incidental expenses incurred due to the injury
If your injuries require treatment in the future or prevent you from returning to your former job, you could get payment for your future losses. You also could pursue compensation for your pain and suffering. If you were partially responsible for your injuries, Nevada Revised Statutes § 41.141 allows you to collect reduced compensation from others are long as you were not primarily to blame for the incident.
You could pursue negligent parties for damages if you were injured while nearby or on the property for reasons unrelated to your work. You also may be able to sue a negligent party if you were working on-site when you were injured. However, if the negligent party is your employer, you cannot sue them for compensation. You must pursue your claim through the state’s worker’s compensation program.
Employees Can File Workers’ Compensation Claims
When you were at work when you were injured in a demolition accident, you must file a claim with your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. All employers, with very few exceptions, must carry this insurance, and employees are covered from their first day of work, whether they are full-time, part-time, or seasonal workers.
Workers’ compensation will provide free medical treatment until you have reached the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI)—the point where additional treatment will not result in marked improvement in your condition. The program pays a partial wage while you recover from your injuries. If you will never fully recover, the program pays permanent disability benefits.
The program provides valuable benefits but can be difficult to navigate, and employers are not always on the side of their injured workers. Contact a Reno demolition injury attorney at Shook & Stone to help you get the benefits you have earned.
Consult a Reno Attorney After a Demolition Accident
Demolition accidents happen far too often and can result in severe injuries. Do not allow the people whose carelessness contributed to the incident to escape responsibility.
A Reno demolition accident lawyer at Shook & Stone could explore all your legal alternatives and help you pursue comprehensive compensation. Call today to schedule a free consultation.
