You want to believe that the construction crews operating in Indiana’s cities and on its roads have the training they need to keep you safe. Unfortunately, some crews don’t. Others might deliberately forgo standard safety practices to finish a job more quickly. In either case, these parties can put you in harm’s way.
Should you get hurt in a construction accident, you may have to go through your entire emergency fund to pay for your recovery. Fortunately, you can work with Vaughan & Vaughan’s Indiana personal injury attorneys to bring your losses to a judge’s attention. Our team can advocate for your right to a fair construction accident settlement.
Is there an average settlement for construction accident lawsuits that you can refer back to while you’re investigating, though? No. No two construction accidents generate the same losses or damages. If you want to know what the value of your case may be, you can request that an attorney perform those calculations on your behalf.
Estimating the Value of Your Construction Accident Settlement
One of the most important things a personal injury claim can do for you and your loved ones is provide you with the financial support you need to recover from your accident. Before you can benefit from that support, though, you need to know the value of your claim. As mentioned, there’s no such thing as an average construction accident settlement.
Instead, you must establish the value of your possible claim by calculating the sum of your construction accident’s economic and non-economic losses. Of the two, your construction accident’s non-economic losses are the easiest to bring together.
These losses generate bills and invoices. As such, you can look at the cost of your medical treatments and property restoration, add that to the value of your lost wages, and find the sum of your possible damages.
Your construction accident’s non-economic losses are intangible and thus don’t generate bills. That intangibility doesn’t reduce these losses’ impact on your life, though. Losses like stress, emotional distress, and pain and suffering in relation to your construction accident have inherent value.
Our construction accident lawyers in Indiana can calculate that value on your behalf. We can then add that value to the sum total of your economic losses. The sum of your construction accident’s economic and non-economic losses can then serve as a settlement estimate.
How to Fight for Construction Accident Damages
There’s more than one way to secure a fair settlement after a construction accident. If the liable party appears amenable to a conversation about your losses, you can schedule out-of-court settlement negotiations. An attorney can represent you throughout this process so you can avoid a construction company’s intimidation attempts or insufficient settlement offers.
Unfortunately, not every construction company wants to own up to the negligence of its employees or managers. In these cases, you may have to take your case to court to secure a fair settlement for your losses. Vaughan & Vaughan can prepare you for this process by going over the stages of a personal injury trial with you in advance.
You can count on us to prepare you for court, walk you through the examination process, and help you practice answers to the defendant’s cross-examination, as appropriate.
Looking Into Construction Accident Lawsuits
Who takes the blame for a construction accident? If you find yourself injured by a negligent construction crew while on that crew’s site, passing them by on the road, or otherwise interacting with a construction team, there’s a chance you can hold that entire construction company liable for your losses.
Most companies assume legal responsibility for on-duty employees. Unfortunately, companies know this and actively work to combat that responsibility. As such, some construction companies may misrepresent an employee’s status or register their crew members as independent contractors.
If the party liable for your construction accident works as an independent contractor, you must hold that individual responsible for your post-accident expenses, not their company. That said, our team can investigate a person’s standing within a construction company to determine whether or not their status within said institution is fairly depicted.
Filing for a Settlement With an Insurance Provider
You have two courses of action available to you in the immediate wake of a construction accident. You can file a claim for damages with the offending party’s insurance provider. You can alternatively pursue a personal injury claim against the liable party.
Your right to do either depends on your ability to bring forward evidence of accident-causing negligence. You must have the means to prove that:
- A particular party or parties violated the duty of care owed to you
- The violation was unreasonable or otherwise unpredictable
- The violation resulted in your economic injury
- You have evidence establishing the value of your economic injury
It can be difficult to prove these points when you’re contending with the aftermath of a construction accident. Fortunately, the construction accident attorneys with Vaughan & Vaughan can step in and do the legwork needed to build your case.
Be aware that if you want a claim against a liable party to move forward, you must submit it within Indiana’s personal injury statute of limitations. Our team can tell you more about this statute and outline an investigative timeline that can protect your right to legal action.
It’s Time to Meet With a Personal Injury Lawyer
Do you want to learn more about the compensation you may deserve after an accident with a negligent construction crew? You can work with Vaughan & Vaughan today. Our team of Indiana-based personal injury lawyers can investigate your losses and calculate what damages you might win if you work with the state’s civil courts.
The personal injury lawyers with Vaughan & Vaughan operate on contingency. This means that you won’t see bills for our services while your case progresses. We only get paid if we win your case. You can schedule a free case consultation with our team to discuss our contingency fee agreements as well as the other representative services we offer survivors like you.
