On February 16, 2010, a Southland Steel Fabricators construction worker suffered a fatal traumatic brain injury and another worker sustained minor injuries in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after the construction workers fell 20 feet to the ground from a lift after it was struck by a beam.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 1,178 fatal work injuries occurred in the construction industry in 2007, the most of any industry, with laborers accounting for the largest number of fatal work injuries among construction occupations.
According to Baton Rouge, Louisiana brain injury attorney, Scott Andrews, construction workers injured or killed on the job are usually barred from filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit because of Louisiana’s strict worker’s compensation immunity for direct and statutory employers. However, if the construction worker’s accident was caused in part by the fault of the employee of a different subcontractor or independent contractor, then the injured construction worker may be able to file a third-party tort action. Injured workers or their families should always consult with an experienced industrial accident or construction accident injury attorney before accepting the employer’s representation that worker’s compensation is the exclusive remedy for the injury or death.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in an industrial accident or construction accident, contact the experienced Baton Rouge, Louisiana construction injury attorneys at Dué Guidry Piedrahita Andrews Courrege L.C.. Email Louisiana injury lawyers or call (225) 929-7481 to schedule a FREE CONSULTATION.