Construction site accidents resulting in head injuries are a significant concern due to their potential severity and long-term impact on victims as well as families. Understanding these injuries involves recognizing their causes, the types of head injuries that can occur, immediate responses and treatments, preventive measures, legal considerations, and rehabilitation processes.
What Causes Construction Accident Head Injuries?
Here are some of the most common causes of head injuries in construction sites:
- Falls: Falls from heights, such as roofs, scaffolding, ladders, or elevated equipment, are common causes of head injuries. Impact with the ground or objects upon falling can lead to severe head trauma.
- Falling objects: Tools, materials, debris, or equipment falling from elevated positions can strike workers’ heads, causing blunt force trauma or penetrating injuries.
- Vehicle accidents: Collisions involving construction vehicles, such as cranes, bulldozers, or trucks, can lead to head injuries for workers or bystanders.
- Equipment malfunctions: Malfunctions of machinery and power tools can result in head injuries from impact or accidents.
- Structural collapse: Structural failures or collapses of scaffolding, walls, or other construction elements can cause head injuries, especially due to falling debris or sudden impacts.
- Explosions or fires: Explosions or fires on construction sites can cause traumatic brain injuries (TBI) due to blast waves or burns to the head and face.
Types of Head Injuries
Construction accidents can lead to various types of head injuries, each with its own characteristics and potential consequences:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI): TBIs result from a sudden blow or penetrating injury to the head, disrupting normal brain function. They can range from mild concussions to severe injuries causing long-term cognitive or physical impairments.
- Skull fractures: Fractures in the skull can occur due to blunt force trauma or penetrating injuries, potentially causing damage to the brain and requiring surgical intervention.
- Concussions: Concussions typically result from a sudden jolt or blow to the head, causing temporary disruption of brain function. They can lead to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and cognitive impairments.
- Penetrating head injuries: These occur when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue, causing severe damage and potentially life-threatening complications.
- Contusions: These are bruises on the brain tissue caused by direct impact to the head, leading to localized bleeding and potential neurological deficits.
- Hematoma: These are blood clots that form outside or within the brain after a head injury, increasing pressure within the skull and potentially causing neurological symptoms or coma.
What to Do After a Construction Accident Head Injury
After a construction accident head injury, it’s crucial to take immediate steps to ensure safety and proper care. First, seek medical attention — even if the injury seems minor — to assess the severity and receive necessary treatment. Report the incident to your employer or site supervisor to document the accident and initiate any workers’ compensation claims. Preserve evidence by documenting the scene, taking photographs, and gathering witness statements.
Follow medical advice diligently and keep detailed records of all medical treatments, appointments, and expenses related to the injury. Consult with an experienced New York City personal injury attorney who handles construction accidents to understand your legal rights, especially regarding workers’ compensation benefits and potential third-party liability claims. Prioritize your recovery by adhering to rehabilitation plans and seeking necessary support for physical, cognitive, and emotional recovery.
Contacting an Experienced Construction Accident Lawyer
Construction workers who have been injured on the job may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits, which covers medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, workers may also be able to file a third-party claim against a negligent (careless) party other than the employer or co-employees for significant monetary damages and have two sources of compensation available for their losses.
Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, construction companies, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents etc. In cases where a worker dies from injuries suffered on the job, surviving family members may seek death benefits through workers’ compensation and/or file a wrongful death claim against a third party who may be held liable for the fatal incident.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. For over 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker (an undocumented immigrant) who was injured on the job — one of the highest construction case settlements in New York that year.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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