Road Construction Worker Injuries
Chicago Attorneys for Injured Road Construction Workers
There are ongoing needs for road construction. But unfortunately, road construction presents dangers not only to those traveling on the road, but also the workers performing the construction. Impatient drivers may not use the appropriate amount of care when they encounter a construction site. Generally, a lane closure results in shifting traffic patterns that make it harder for drivers to predict the consequences of their actions. Sometimes the lighting is dim when the work is being performed at night, resulting in poor visibility. If you are a road construction worker who was injured on the job, you should give us a call. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, our tenacious Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers have more than 60 years of experience advocating for workers injured on the job.
Road Construction Worker Injuries
Many factors come into play in a road construction work zone. Among these are rough asphalt surfaces, narrow lanes, very brief notices to merge and enormous, and heavy construction vehicles located in or nearby a work zone that limit visibility. Accidents that may cause serious injuries include collisions with construction barriers, distracted drivers, aggressive drivers, construction debris, and shifting traffic patterns.
Too often, road construction workers are struck directly by a moving vehicle. They have no protection from the force exerted on these bodies in these collisions. Other accidents may involve falls, crush injuries, electrocution, burns, and heavy machinery accidents.
Collisions can result in serious or catastrophic injuries.
The nature and amount of workers’ compensation benefits you can obtain after being seriously injured on the job depends on the severity and type of injuries you sustained. For example, if you were struck by a car while working on a road, you may be able to obtain expenses to cover emergency care, doctor’s appointments, surgery, a wheelchair, medications, medical mileage, and more. You may be able to recover a portion of your lost wages in the form of disability benefits. If you are temporarily completely disabled, you can recover 2/3 of your average weekly wage. More complex calculations will be used if you were disfigured or have certain other types of permanent losses, such as paralysis, that makes it impossible for you to return to the same job, as a result of the work-related injuries.
After an accident, it’s important to notify your employer of your work-related injuries in a timely manner. You have up to 45 days to provide notification for purposes of recovering workers’ compensation benefits, but it’s wise to do so immediately and in writing, even if you believe your employer already knows about the injuries. Otherwise, an insurer may be skeptical that your injuries were work-related and may deny your claim.
Very serious work injuries may be fatal. The family of a deceased road construction worker may be able to obtain death benefits after the loss of a loved one due to a work-related accident. For instance, if your spouse was run over by an aggressive drunk driver while working on the highway, you may be able to obtain funeral and burial expenses, along with a portion of his average weekly wage.
Third Party Lawsuits
Workers’ compensation benefits are no-fault benefits. They are an exclusive remedy against your employer when you’ve been injured on the job. Generally, however, workers’ compensation benefits do not fully make up for your losses after a work-related accident. They don’t, for instance, provide any recompense for intangible losses such as pain and suffering, even if you’ve suffered catastrophic injuries such as amputation or paralysis. To recover compensation for noneconomic losses, you’d need to bring a personal injury lawsuit against a third party other than your employer.
Most personal injury lawsuits are brought under a theory of negligence. To prove negligence, our lawyers must show you were owed a duty of care by the defendant, which he breached, thereby causing your injuries.
Retain Experienced Chicago Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
If you are a road construction worker injured on the job, you should give our seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers a call. With more than 60 years of experience, we have the knowledge and tenacity to explore every possible avenue for relief. We seek best outcomes for our clients, representing them in personal injury lawsuits, workers’ compensation claims, and SSDI claims in Rockford, Champaign, Quincy, and Aurora, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.
- Benefits for Road Construction Workers
- Death Benefits for Road Construction Workers
- Independent Medical Exam
- Initial Claims for Road Construction Workers
- Lump Sum Settlements for Injured Road Construction Workers
- Medical Benefits for Road Construction Workers
- Road Construction Workers’ Exposure to Toxic Substances
- Road Construction Workers With Partial Disabilities
- Road Construction Workers With Temporary and Total Disabilities
- Safety Violations for Road Construction Workers
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Workers’ Compensation Appeals for Road Construction Workers
- Workers’ Compensation Hearings for Road Construction Workers