The Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC is committed to helping South Carolina’s construction workers who have been injured on the job. While Joe Griffith's goal is to help clients proactively avoid disputes, he is a vigorous litigator when a fight is in the best interest of his clients. Client satisfaction is his number one goal.
The rapidly changing construction industry is a high-risk business in terms of worker safety, accidents and injuries. Construction workers are frequently exposed to dangerous equipment, machinery and work environments. In 2003, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the largest number of fatal work injuries was in the construction sector with a total of 1,126 deaths. Likewise, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has also reported that the highest level of nonfatal worker injuries, as measured on a lost-workday basis, is again in the construction industry with a rate of 5.7 days per 100 workers.
Workers injured on construction sites may be able to sue the owner, its agents and contractors, for all damages sustained by virtue of any physical harm which has occurred to them. Such suits are permitted on behalf of injured workers in addition to workers’ compensation benefits they may be entitled to receive. Unlike workers’ compensation however, where an owner, agent or contractor is statutorily liable to pay benefits, recovery can also be made for past and future lost earnings, pain and suffering, past and future medical expenses, loss of benefits, and other types of damages.
In South Carolina and many other states, there are special statutes to protect workers involved in construction related accidents. These statutes exist because no matter how stringent the regulations concerning job safety, workers are at risk on a daily basis because of the inherently dangerous nature of their jobs. This is exemplified by situations involving:
- Scaffolding Accidents
- Roof related falls
- Falls from elevated work surfaces
- Workers hit by falling objects
- Trench collapses
- Electrocution
- Fire and explosions
- Machinery accidents
- Crane, forklift, truck and other vehicular accidents
- Equipment failure
- Failure to provide safety equipment
- Welding accidents
- Industrial gases
While your employer is responsible for your worker’s compensation benefits, product defects and failures by an owner, agent or contractor to conduct themselves in a non-negligent manner can lead to legal liability for injuries to a worker or even a passerby.
If you have suffered a serious injury at a construction site you may be entitled to recover significant damages, in addition to worker’s compensation benefits, for your injuries. Joe Griffith Law Firm can help you recover your worker’s compensation benefits, as well as pursue negligence or products liability claims against persons or companies which have caused the injuries. JGLF will investigate the facts, assess your claim, determine which parties and insurance companies are to be held responsible, organize all of the details of your case and pursue it vigorously in settlement negotiations or at trial.
If you or a loved one has been injured while on a construction job, please contact the Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC. You can reach JGLF at 843-CALL-JOE (843-225-5563), or contact the firm via the online form.
