Jobs in the construction industry are often quite dangerous. Construction workers get injured on the job at one of the highest rates of all professions. The injuries sustained are often quite severe and can require significant medical treatment. If you suffered an injury on a construction site, you could be entitled to financial compensation from the liable party.
At Vaughan & Vaughan, our team of construction accident attorneys in Indiana has been helping accident victims recover the compensation they need for over 100 years. Find out more about your legal options by giving us a call or completing our online contact form. We offer free consultations to accident victims, so don’t hesitate to reach out today.
You Must Establish Liability Before You Can Pursue Compensation
When attempting to recover compensation after a construction accident, one of the first things you have to do is figure out who is responsible for the injuries you sustained. Unfortunately, proving fault after an accident is often a very complicated process. However, you don’t have to attempt to establish liability on your own.
An experienced Indiana construction accident lawyer will know precisely what to look for when investigating your case to determine fault. Once liability has been established, you will be able to move forward with attempting to recover the compensation you need.
What a Construction Accident Attorney in Indiana Can Do for You
When you hire a construction accident lawyer to help you recover compensation, they will immediately get to work on your behalf. One of the first actions they will likely take will be to investigate your accident so they can determine who is to blame and collect evidence that supports your compensation claim.
Once your attorney has finished their investigation, they will go over the losses you sustained and evaluate how much your claim is worth. The next step will depend on the path you have chosen for pursuing compensation. Your lawyer will likely either submit an insurance claim to the liable party’s insurer or file a lawsuit against the at-fault party with the court.
If you have chosen to pursue litigation, your attorney will then begin the steps of the pretrial process. Once all the pretrial steps have been completed, your lawyer will represent you in court if necessary. At every step, your attorney will also be in talks with opposing counsel, working to negotiate a fair settlement deal.
Damages You Can Claim Following a Construction Accident
Following a construction accident, it is important to determine what damages you are eligible to pursue. The specific details of your case will dictate what damages apply. Identifying all the damages you are entitled to claim can be challenging without the help of an expert.
Fortunately, when you hire an experienced construction accident lawyer in Indiana, you will be maximizing your chances of recovering all the damages you can potentially claim. These damages are all divided into three main categories.
Economic Damages
All of the losses you endured that were financial in nature are categorized as economic damages. Because of the fact that these losses are monetary, evaluating their worth is typically straightforward. Some of the economic damages most commonly claimed include:
- Lost income
- Diminished earning ability
- Money used to complete daily tasks that your injuries prevent you from doing yourself
- Property damage
- Medical costs
- Future medical bills
Non-Economic Damages
The rest of the losses you suffered get grouped together in the broad category of non-economic damages. Since these losses are typically personal rather than financial, putting a dollar figure on them is far more complicated. Some of the non-economic damages most commonly claimed include:
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of companionship
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Decreased quality of life
Punitive Damages
While economic and non-economic damages focus on the losses faced by the accident victim, punitive damages are awarded for an entirely different reason. These damages are not assessed in relation to the accident victim but rather to the at-fault party. They are used as a means of punishment and a way of discouraging the same type of behavior in the future.
A judge will only award punitive damages in extreme cases. For these damages to apply, the liable party must have acted in a manner deemed criminally negligent or with the direct purpose of causing harm.
File Your Lawsuit Before the Deadline Passes
If you are attempting to pursue compensation following a construction accident, you must be mindful of the statute of limitations. Indiana generally gives accident victims two years to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. If you fail to get your paperwork submitted within this period, it will most likely result in the loss of your right to pursue compensation.
Although the statute of limitations is typically quite rigid, there are a variety of exceptions that could apply to your case. If an exception does apply, it could mean that you have the right to pursue a lawsuit, even if years have passed after the standard deadline.
Alternatively, you may find that an exception to the statute of limitations lessens the time you have to submit your lawsuit. One example is in cases where the at-fault party is a government entity. In this situation, you will likely only have months to file your lawsuit against the liable party rather than the usual two years.
Get Your Free Case Evaluation from a Construction Accident Lawyer in Indiana Today
To give yourself the best chance of recovering the compensation you need after a construction accident, it is essential that you find the right attorney. You need to choose a lawyer with experience handling cases similar to yours and a proven track record of winning big for their clients.
At Vaughan & Vaughan, our team of Indiana construction accident lawyers knows what it takes to help our clients recover fair compensation. Reach out to us today by phone or by completing our online contact form to schedule a free case evaluation.
