Construction workers face a variety of hazards daily, including burn injuries. Notably, there are many reasons burn injuries can occur in the construction industry — but they are often caused by negligence. Although workers cannot sue their employer for an injury due to New York’s Workers’ Compensation laws, they may be able to sue another party who should be held accountable. If you suffered a burn injury while working on a construction site due to the carelessness or recklessness of a third party, you might be entitled to recover your damages by filing a personal injury action.
Causes of Burn Injuries on Construction Sites
Regardless of how the injury occurred, construction accident burn injuries are typically separated into four categories by level of severity — first, second, third, and fourth-degree burns. While first-degree burns only affect the top layer of skin, fourth-degree burns are the most serious and can penetrate beneath the skin, causing damage to the nerves, muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments. Second-degree burns affect the first two layers of skin, compared with third-degree burns, which result in a substantial loss of skin layers and tissue.
Common causes of burn injuries on construction sites include the following:
- Electrical hazards
- Chemical exposure
- Explosions and fire
- Hot surfaces, liquids, and steam
- Defective fuel lines
- Unsafe welding practices
- Scalding pipes
Burn injuries can cause severe disfigurement, scarring, nerve damage, infections, a wide array of health complications, and even fatality. Importantly, many burn injuries on construction sites can be prevented by taking appropriate safety precautions. If proper safety protocol was not followed or a third party failed to adhere to their duty of care, a construction worker may be able to pursue a personal injury action to recover the damages they suffered. Potentially liable parties can include general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, suppliers, equipment manufacturers, or property owners.
Compensation for Construction Site Burn Injuries
Burn injuries can have a lifelong impact on a construction worker — physically, emotionally, and financially. Not only do these types of injuries often require extensive medical treatment, reconstructive surgery, and physical rehabilitation, but the psychological and emotional toll can be significant. In many cases, the benefits provided by Workers’ Compensation simply aren’t adequate to cover the full extent of a victim’s losses. These benefits also do not compensate for the physical pain and emotional suffering a victim experiences. However, a construction worker who suffered burn injuries on a construction site due to a third party’s negligence may be entitled to a wide array of damages by filing a lawsuit.
Recoverable economic damages in a personal injury lawsuit for burn injuries can include the monetary damages a victim incurred due to the accident, including unreimbursed medical expenses, surgery costs, lost wages, future lost earnings, out-of-pocket costs, and other pecuniary losses. Non-economic damages are those that are much more difficult to quantify. They are meant to compensate for the physical pain, emotional anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life a victim suffered in connection with their injuries.
Contact an Experienced New York Personal Injury Attorney
If you’ve suffered burn injuries in a construction accident caused by the negligence, carelessness, or recklessness of a third party, it’s vital to have a knowledgeable personal injury attorney by your side who knows what it takes to secure the compensation you deserve. The Dearie Law Firm, P.C. has represented clients in construction accidents for over three decades and works hard to achieve the best possible outcome in each case. Contact us today for a consultation.