If you work in the construction industry, you don't need to be told about the inherent dangers of your field. You also probably don't need to be told how important it is for you to take advantage of the benefits afforded to you through workers' compensation. What you might not know is that even if you do recover workers' compensation, you could also recover compensation if another party was responsible for your accident.
For most construction jobs, there are a large number of parties involved. Of course, your employer will always be an involved party, but depending on who owns the construction site, who the engineers for the project are, and who manufactured the equipment used in the project, your injury could have multiple responsible parties.
Imagine you are doing routine construction work on the interior of a building, and as you are drilling holes, your drill overheats and causes severe burns. If this overheating was a matter of faulty design or manufacturing, you could hold the manufacturer of the drill responsible for your burn injury. Similarly, if you are doing work on the second floor, and the floor beneath you gives way, sending you crashing to the first floor, you could hold the site owner responsible if you can prove that he or she knew about the weak floor.
Many workers' compensation cases are a simple matter of informing your employer of your injury and allowing the insurance company to review the case, but with personal injury lawsuits, you will likely need to take matters into your own hands. The responsible party may try to deny that it was responsible for your injuries, but an attorney can help you build a case to prove what really happened. If you have suffered a construction injury in Pennsylvania, and you believe that a third party contributed to your injury, consider contacting an attorney to explore the possibility of a personal injury lawsuit.
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