Overview
Working in construction remains among the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Millions of dedicated individuals report to busy job sites every day, and tragically, many end up with life-altering or even life-ending injuries due to hazardous working conditions.
Our team has had the privilege of representing hundreds of the hard-working individuals from multiple crafts, unions, and professions, including laborers, electricians, roofers, scaffolders, masons, structural steel erectors, foundational workers, pile drivers, glaziers, sheet metal workers, HVAC workers, plumbers, and heavy equipment operators, among others.
Our partnerships with these individuals and their families have resulted in many multi-million-dollar recoveries. More importantly, these construction site accident cases have allowed our clients and their families to return to the life they deserve after years of hard work.
Our work in construction injury cases is motivated by the firm belief that workplace injuries in Massachusetts can and should be prevented and that those injured on the job have the right to be made whole when the negligence of others leads to their disability, death or lost employment. That’s why Senior Partner Doug Sheff founded the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Workplace Safety Task Force to promote safer working conditions for all construction workers throughout the Commonwealth. The efforts of this task force resulted in the passage of HB1393, the Temporary Workers Right to Know Bill.
In Massachusetts, a worker generally cannot sue his or her employer when the worker is injured on the job – instead the worker receives Workers Compensation benefits. But there are often others responsible for ensuring safety on the jobsite, like a general contractor or safety supervisor. Sometimes injuries are caused by another employer’s crew or by defective equipment or machinery. You may have a valid claim if people or businesses other than your employer or co-workers are responsible for safety or supervision. And prosecuting those claims will not only compensate you for your injuries, but it can also lead to better safety measures so other workers will not be injured or killed.
Sheff & Cook’s Boston-based personal injury attorneys specialize in discovering multi-party liability and uncovering failures in training, safety procedures and job site conditions that lead to accidents that other firms often overlook. Our methods have been developed through decades of representing construction site workers hurt or killed in unguarded falls, heavy equipment accidents, scaffold failures, and incidents caused by a lack of personal protective equipment. Contact our team to learn what options are available to you.
Additional Information
When to Hire a Construction Accident Lawyer
An injured worker always has the right to bring a worker’s compensation claim against his/her employer, but these claims generally only result in the recovery of lost wages and medical expenses. Generally, no pain and suffering or other general damages are available in a worker’s compensation claim in Massachusetts.
However, if it can be established that some party other than the worker’s employer is responsible for causing the construction site accident or for creating an unsafe condition or worksite, they can be sued directly in a construction site injury lawsuit. In these claims, workers can be compensated for all manner of damages including pain, suffering, loss of earning capacity, future losses and loss of quality of life.
Common Construction Site Accident Injuries
The injuries that occur in construction site cases can vary but they are often extremely severe due to the dangers presented by both the nature of the job sites themselves and the tools and equipment utilized by workers. They can include:
- Wrongful death
- Traumatic head and brain injuries
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Skeletal injuries/fractures
- Chemical exposure injuries
- Limb loss/amputations
- Severe internal injuries resulting from crushing
- Burn injuries
- Skin and degloving injuries
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the federal agency responsible for the safety of workers on construction sites, the “Fatal Four” leading causes of death on construction sites are:
- Falls
- Electrocution
- Being struck by an object
- Being caught in or between something
Sheff & Cook’s Approach
Sheff & Cook’s unique team approach to construction accident cases surpasses the services offered by other personal injury lawyers near Boston. We leverage courtroom experience, expert witnesses, investigative expertise, and local knowledge to ensure that every aspect of a construction site accident is documented enhancing our ability to produce compelling evidentiary presentations. We employ a team of medical experts to determine the extent of spinal injuries and traumatic brain injury. We demonstrate the impact of visible and invisible injuries in the lives of our clients and develop lifetime care plans that enhance the value of settlements and courtroom awards.
We know how to help you and your family recover all of the compensation you deserve. No stone is left unturned in our pursuit of the cause of construction site accidents. We review the safety history of contractors, subcontractors and property owners. We determine whether training was adequate, whether environmental conditions were a factor and whether safety rules were followed. In every case we pursue, we reinforce our hard work to achieve compensation for workers injured through negligence with advocacy for greater workplace safety.
