Scaffolding Accidents

It comes as no surprise that construction workers face some of the greatest risks of suffering an on-the-job injury. Some of the most common types of construction-related accidents involve large equipment, while others involve the physical construction site itself. A prime example is scaffolding. When building multi-story buildings, construction workers will often erect temporary scaffolding to help them travel to the upper floors and to work on the exterior of the building. Due to the height of scaffolding and how often it is traversed with loads of equipment and building materials, it can pose a serious risk to workers. Experienced Greenville and Spartanburg scaffolding accident lawyer Patrick E. Knie is prepared to help you or your loved one bring a claim against a construction site operator responsible for your harm. A work injury attorney may be critical in asserting your rights.

The workers’ compensation system is designed to provide injured employees with compensation to cover the medical expenses and missed wages that result from a work-related injury. This system is considered the exclusive remedy for injured workers against their employers. Employees are entitled to reasonable medical treatment necessary to relieve or cure their injury, including medical bills, medications, physical therapy, and mileage to and from the hospital.

To obtain these benefits, you will need to file a claim with your employer’s workers compensation carrier. The insurer may then wish to have a doctor conduct a medical examination to assess the nature and scope of your injury. The doctor will determine whether your injury is temporary or permanent and whether it is total or partial. The most severe type of injury is a permanent total injury. This means that the injury will not resolve and affects your entire body. A temporary partial injury, on the other hand, is something that will resolve and that only affects part of your body.

There are also some instances in which an injured worker can bring a civil lawsuit against a third party that may be responsible for his or her on-the-job injuries. If the accident was the result of a third party’s careless acts or omissions, you can bring a claim against that individual, usually based on the theory of negligence. Examples of third-party actors include independent subcontractors, the manufacturer of a defective piece of scaffolding equipment, or a delivery driver who works for an unassociated company.

As with most other personal injury claims, the plaintiff must prove that the third party owed him or her a duty of reasonable care and failed to act according to that duty. Reasonable care usually requires us to use the same prudence and skill that an ordinary person would use in a similar situation. The plaintiff must also show that the breach of duty was the direct cause of his or her injury and provide documentation supporting the amount of damages that he or she is seeking in the lawsuit.

If you have been hurt in an accident on the job, you may need to consult a workers’ compensation lawyer. Dedicated Spartanburg and Greenville scaffolding accident attorney Patrick E. Knie has considerable experience navigating the workers’ compensation process as well as bringing third-party injury claims against negligent actors. We proudly serve people throughout Cherokee, Union, Greenville, and Laurens Counties, as well as elsewhere in South Carolina. Call us at (864) 582-5118 or contact us online to set up a free consultation.