Philadelphia Excavation Injury Lawyer
If you have a job that involves working in excavation areas and trenches and have experienced an injury while on the job, know that you may be entitled to financial compensation. You deserve to be compensated by the negligent and responsible parties. At Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers, our construction accident attorneys have years of experience dealing with cases like these, and we are here to help you.
This is a difficult time for you, but you do not have to seek justice on your own. Contact our office or call (215) 875-7030 our Philadelphia personal injury law firm at no cost today for help in managing the situation.
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How A Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help After An ExcavationAccident
If you have experienced an injury due to an excavation accident in the City of Brotherly Love, you may be wondering what an attorney can do for you.
At Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers, we know our way around personal injury law.
Collectively our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers have more than 80 years of experience fighting on behalf of clients just like you. When dealing with an injury of any kind, managing your medical issues should be at the forefront of your mind, not handling complex legalities.
This is where we come in. Allow us to handle the legal matters while you focus on healing. This includes:
- Investigating the circumstances of your excavation injury and accident
- Determining the cause of the accident and identifying who may be at fault
- Preparing a solid legal claim for damages and seeking compensation from all who share blame
- Limiting efforts to minimize your recovery by blaming you for getting hurt
- Negotiating with insurance providers on your behalf
- Taking your case to a jury, if necessary.
We are an accomplished and respected Philadelphia personal injury law firm. With decades of experience in personal injury law, there are not many difficulties we have not already encountered. We know what to expect as we proceed with your case, and we are aware of the hurdles that may arise and how to overcome them. When you hire the services of our team of lawyers, you will have the benefit of years of experience fighting aggressively on your behalf.
Call our Philadelphia law offices today to get your case started.
Excavation Accident Injury Facts
If you were the victim of an excavation accident injury, it can be worthwhile to understand some of the basic facts behind excavation accidents and the injuries that often occur:
- Jobs that involve work in excavation and trenches are extremely hazardous for the safety of workers.
- According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trench cave-ins cause hundreds of injuries every year, and dozens of fatalities.
- Cave-ins are the number one cause of fatal excavation injuries.
- Seventy-five percent of excavation related accidents are a result of cave-ins.
- Cave-ins typically occur due to company negligence, and the worksite management team not ensuring safe practices.
Excavation accident injuries are most prevalent among a certain subset of professions. There are a few jobs in which injuries of this type are incredibly common:
- Construction related jobs
- Utility workers (including gas, electric, and water supply)
- Telecommunications
- Metal mining
As you can see, you are not alone in the devastating experience you have had. This has happened to countless others and you will get through this.
Common Causes Of Excavation Accident Injuries
Understanding some of the common causes behind excavation accident injuries can help determine whether or not negligent parties were involved in your injury. Excavation accidents can occur for many different reasons, but there are a few common causes that seem to occur more often than most.
Some of the most common include:
- Water accumulation within the excavation site
- Installation and removal of protective systems
- Explosion of underground utilities causing cave-ins
- Atmospheric conditions which can cause ground instability
In addition, despite regulations put out by OSHA, companies unfortunately ignore or take shortcuts to the detriment of all.
A few examples:
- Providing All Workers an Escape Route: Companies that ignore OSHA regulations regarding excavation and trenches put their employees lives at risk. Vital OSHA requirements include regular trench inspection, additional safety measures for trenches over five feet in depth, and approval by professional engineers for trenches over twenty feet in depth. Any trench four feet or deeper, must have a safe means to exit within twenty-five feet of every worker. This can be in the form of ladders, ramps, or other safety measures.
- Keeping all Equipment Away from Trench: Personnel, extra materials, and heavy machinery should be kept at least two feet away from the diameter of the trench. This will prevent avoidable cave-ins and deaths of workers due to blunt force trauma.
- Other causes of excavation injuries include falls, atmospheric issues, water accumulation, and the installation and removal of protective systems. Explosion of underground utilities, electrocution, and poor training are also to blame. It is the duty of company management to ensure safety measures are implemented and followed to protect employees.
If any of the above causes seem relevant to your situation, there may be negligent parties at fault from whom we can seek compensation. In general, it is the responsibility of company management to ensure that proper safety measures are put in place and followed regularly.
Common Injuries That Arise Due To Excavation Accidents
Injuries involving excavations and trenches are often debilitating, even fatal. Every excavation-related accident is different and is surrounded by a unique set of circumstances. However, there are a few common injuries that can occur:
- Internal damage to organs
- Head, neck, and spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Paralysis
- Death
If you have suffered any one of these injuries, you should contact our law offices right away to find out how we can help you hold the negligent parties accountable.
What Compensation Can I Expect After An Excavation Accident Injury In Philadelphia?
Each excavation-related injury comes with a different set of circumstances. If you were injured in an excavation accident the job, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. You may also have the right to file a lawsuit if someone other than your employer was negligent and caused you to get hurt.
In addition to whether another party was negligent, it will also matter whether you contributed to the negligence that led to the accident as well. All of these factors can play into the calculation of any financial award.
There are a few commonalities among all personal injury cases regarding compensation, however. Most personal injury compensation can be split up into two different categories: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages refer specifically to financial costs such as:
- Loss or decrease in earning capacity
- Medical bills
- In-home care
- Property damage
- Loss of irreplaceable items
Non-economic damages are more personal and harder to quantify:
- Losing your enjoyment of life
- Physical impairment
- Mental trauma
- Embarrassment
- Inconvenience
It is also worthwhile to note that the state of Pennsylvania is a modified comparative negligence state. This means that if you contributed to the negligence that led to the accident, that can be considered as part of the determination of damages. If you were more than 50% responsible for your part in causing the accident, you will be barred from recovering any damages despite the fact that other parties may have been negligent also. The key point is that you must have been less negligent.
Statute Of Limitations For Philadelphia Excavation Accident Injury Cases
When you have suffered an injury due to an excavation accident, you have only a certain amount of time within which to seek redress by filing a lawsuit. This is called the statute of limitations, and in Pennsylvania, injury victims are given two years from the time of the accident to take action against those who were negligent.
This means it is urgent that you hire a personal injury lawyer to help you begin the process. The statute of limitations exists to ensure that memories and evidence have not grown stale since the accident. The better-preserved evidence and witness accounts are, the more reliable they are and the more likely they are to result in a fair and accurate outcome in the case.
If you fail to file within the statute of limitations, you are barred from bringing suit and being awarded damages. Do not delay in calling us as soon as possible after your accident so we can begin doing the work.
Contact Our Construction Accidents in Philly Now
We understand that this is a difficult time for you. We have represented countless personal injury victims, and we have seen the physical and emotional toll these situations can take on you as the injured, but also the toll on your family and close friends.
At Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers, we think of you as family, and treat you as a priority client. We pride ourselves in helping all of our clients feel like our only clients. You deserve to be treated with special attention and care after what you have gone through. Our personal injury law firm cares about you and will do everything we can to get you the best outcome possible.
Contact us to speak with our compassionate and understanding team of attorneys today. The consultation is absolutely free. Call today.
