While construction workers in Arizona will often go to great lengths to speak positively about their chosen occupation, and it is a job that elicits pride in following a plan and watching it come together, that does not alter the reality that it is dangerous. Construction accidents can not only cause severe injuries, but they can cause fatalities. A common way in which workers are hurt in a construction accident is from a scaffolding fall. When this type of incident occurs, it is imperative that those who were injured understand their legal rights to be compensated.
A shopping center project in Arizona was the scene of two construction workers being injured when the scaffold they were stationed on collapsed while they were working. Firefighters were called to help the men after they fell approximately 30 feet following the collapse. The men were wearing their helmets at the time and were attended to by other workers. They were brought to a trauma center, and their injuries were deemed serious but were not considered life-threatening. An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is ongoing.
Those who are hurt in a scaffolding accident need to know the long-term consequences they might face. Depending on the injuries, they might have to stay in the hospital for an extended period with the requisite medical costs for treatment. They could have trouble getting back to work and even might need to be cared for, perhaps permanently. Companies and their insurers might try to preclude an expensive legal filing by offering a settlement after such an incident. Workers need to realize that their injuries could be costly both personally and financially and accepting a settlement without legal advice might not yield enough to adequately compensate them.
In many cases, these falls occur because of mistakes made by the construction company or the entities responsible for safety equipment. This is why it is key that an investigation be conducted with the interests of the injured parties in mind. After a construction worker accident, an attorney may be able to provide advice, help with investigating the incident, and protect the workers, if necessary, by moving forward with a lawsuit.
Source: dailyjournal.net, “Two construction workers have suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries after a scaffolding collapsed at a shopping center project in Glendale,” March 4, 2016
