Construction workers face hazards that can cause serious injuries, even with years of experience on the job. If you were hurt while working on a construction site, a construction accident lawyer in Harwood Heights can determine whether you have a workers’ compensation claim, a claim against another party, or both.
Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., has been representing injured workers and accident victims since 2002. We provide personal attention and responsive communication while handling the insurance and legal issues connected to your injury.
Contact us for a free consultation with a Harwood Heights workers’ compensation lawyer.
Your Rights After a Construction Accident in Harwood Heights
A construction injury can give rise to more than one type of claim. Workers’ compensation generally provides benefits for an injury that arises out of and in the course of your employment, regardless of whether your employer caused the accident.
You may also have a separate personal injury claim when someone other than your employer contributed to your injuries. Our Harwood Heights personal injury lawyers can review how the accident happened and identify each available source of recovery.
We can also coordinate the claims when workers’ compensation and third-party liability overlap.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Injured Construction Workers
Illinois workers’ compensation can provide benefits without requiring you to prove that your employer was negligent. The benefits available depend on your medical condition, ability to work, and whether the injury causes lasting impairment.
You may qualify for:
Medical Care
Workers’ compensation may pay for reasonable and necessary treatment related to your work injury, including hospital care, doctor visits, surgery, physical therapy, prescriptions, and other covered services.
Disability Benefits
If your doctor takes you completely off work while you recover, temporary total disability benefits may replace part of your lost income. Other disability benefits may apply if you return to lower-paying work or are left with permanent impairment.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Some workers cannot return to the same construction job after a serious injury. Vocational rehabilitation and maintenance benefits may be available in qualifying cases when retraining or other assistance is needed to return to suitable employment.
Our construction accident attorneys in Harwood Heights can review the benefits being paid and address disputes over treatment, work restrictions, or disability payments.
When You May Have a Third-Party Construction Accident Claim
Workers’ compensation generally prevents an employee from suing their employer for a covered workplace injury. It does not necessarily prevent a lawsuit against another person or company whose negligence contributed to the accident.
Construction sites often involve several businesses working at the same location. Depending on the facts, a third-party claim could involve:
- A general contractor.
- Another subcontractor.
- A property owner in qualifying circumstances.
- A driver who caused a work-zone or site collision.
- A company responsible for unsafe site operations.
- Another business whose employees caused the accident.
A third-party case may allow you to seek damages that workers’ compensation does not provide, including pain and suffering and the full amount of certain wage losses.
Evidence Our Harwood Heights Construction Accident Lawyers Use to Build Claims
A construction site can change quickly after an accident. Materials get moved, contractors leave, and unsafe conditions may be corrected before anyone outside the site sees them.
Our construction injury lawyers in Harwood Heights may seek evidence such as:
- Jobsite photographs and video.
- Incident and safety reports.
- Witness statements.
- Surveillance footage.
- Site inspection records.
- Work schedules and daily logs.
- Contractor and subcontractor agreements.
- Training and safety documentation.
- Medical records and work restrictions.
- OSHA records when relevant.
This evidence can help show how the injury occurred, which companies controlled the work involved, and whether another party may be legally responsible.
Construction Injuries That May Prevent You From Working
Construction work is physically demanding. An injury that might allow someone with a desk job to return quickly can prevent a laborer, carpenter, electrician, roofer, or equipment operator from performing required duties.
Serious construction injuries may include:
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Spinal cord injuries.
- Neck and back injuries.
- Broken bones.
- Shoulder and knee injuries.
- Crush injuries.
- Burns and electrical injuries.
- Nerve damage.
- Amputations.
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement.
We review your work restrictions in the context of the job you actually performed. Your ability to return to construction work can affect both your workers’ compensation benefits and the value of any third-party claim.
Deadlines for Illinois Construction Injury Claims
For most accidental workplace injuries, Illinois law requires notice to the employer as soon as practicable and, in any event, no later than 45 days after the accident.
A workers’ compensation application generally must also be filed with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission within three years of the accident or within two years after the last payment of compensation, whichever is later. Different rules can apply in certain circumstances.
A separate third-party lawsuit follows its own filing deadline. Because one construction accident can involve multiple claims, we identify the applicable dates early and track each claim separately.
Why Injured Construction Workers Choose Charlie
Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., understands that an injury can put a working person in a difficult financial position, especially when paychecks stop while treatment continues. Our firm focuses on accessible legal service and clear communication throughout the case.
When you work with us, you receive:
- More than 75 years of combined legal experience.
- A firm that has recovered more than $100 million for clients.
- Responsive communication about your claim.
- Help dealing with workers’ compensation and liability insurers.
- Relationships with medical providers who may treat qualifying patients on liens.
- Electronic options for sending documents and communicating with our team.
- Free consultations, including meetings by Zoom.
- Contingency-fee representation for eligible claims.
Our founding partner previously worked on the insurance side with Allstate. That experience helps us understand how insurers evaluate injury claims and respond when they dispute liability or the extent of a worker’s losses.
Discuss Your Case With Our Harwood Heights Construction Accident Attorneys
If a construction accident has kept you from working or left you needing ongoing medical care, we can determine which claims are available and what benefits or compensation you may pursue.
Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., represents injured workers who want direct answers and a legal team that stays responsive throughout the case. Whether your case involves workers’ compensation, third-party liability, or both, we can review what happened and explain the available legal options.
Contact us for a free consultation with a construction accident attorney in Harwood Heights. There is no fee for the consultation.
