If you’ve recently sustained injuries or become ill while working in the construction industry, connect with an experienced construction injury lawyer Santa Monica, CA that workers trust. The construction industry is a notoriously hazardous place for American workers to make their living. It is also especially hazardous when those running a job site don’t speak the same language as their workers and/or fail to treat their workers with the respect and consideration that they are owed.

At Cohen Injury Law Group, we are deeply proud to represent the interests of injured construction workers because we understand just how much is at stake when hard-working people suffer injuries on the job and aren’t able to return to earning a wage right away.

We also understand that due to many cultural factors within the construction industry and due to very real fears about retaliation, far too few construction workers explore their legal options after they’ve been hurt at work. Please understand that if you choose to speak with our firm, your consultation will be confidential. And please understand that if you choose to exercise your rights under the law, we will do our utmost to protect you from unlawful retaliation on the part of your employer. Whether you are documented or undocumented, an employee or an independent contractor, you are entitled to certain protections under the law. Connect with us today to learn more.

Personal Injury Lawsuits

Regardless of whether you’re eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, the Santa Monica, CA construction injury lawyer team at Cohen Injury Law Group can help you to pursue personal injury damages if your situation meets the following criteria:

•       You were owed a duty of care under the law by the defendant named in your case
•       The defendant engaged in negligent, reckless, or intentionally harmful conduct that violated that duty of care
•       Your injuries were directly caused by the defendant’s conduct

Know that if you’re eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, you can sue anyone whose conduct meets these criteria, except your employer.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Workers who are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits – whether those workers are documented or undocumented – are generally entitled to receive a benefits award if they sustain injuries on the job or become ill as a result of their working conditions. You are likely eligible for this coverage if you are classified as a full-time or part-time employee. However, you may also be eligible for coverage if you do the work of an employee but have been improperly classified as an independent contractor.

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. This means that, unlike the personal injury claims process, workers’ compensation claims adjusters aren’t generally concerned with whether your injurious circumstances were your fault or not. Instead, they are generally concerned with whether you sustained you were harmed while engaging in work activities, as opposed to doing anything else in your life. If you were not on a standard construction site when you sustained harm, you may be in particular need of legal assistance. Insurance claims adjusters will do what they can to devalue or reject claims as they come in. As a result, if you cannot easily prove that you were harmed is work-related, you may not receive compensation or you may receive a devalued benefits award. Working with an attorney can help to ensure that you receive all the compensation to which you are entitled.

Note that there are a few exceptions to the fault concerns considered by insurance claims adjusters. If you were drunk or otherwise impaired by substances at the time of your harm, you had picked a fight and sustained injuries as a result of that fight, or you were trying to get hurt so that you could commit workers’ compensation insurance fraud, you will not be entitled to benefits.

Do Injured Workers Need a Lawyer to Secure Compensation?

If you have had friends or coworkers who have submitted workers’ compensation claims before, they may insist that you can submit your claim without the assistance of an attorney at Cohen Injury Law Group or anywhere else. Regardless of whether you are hoping to pursue personal injury damages or workers’ compensation benefits, it is important to speak with an attorney in a risk-free consultation setting before committing to representing your own interests.

Chances are that your case is complex enough that you will need the assistance of our trusted Santa Monica, CA construction injury lawyer team. If you attempt to negotiate with insurance adjusters on your own, attempt to hold others liable in court on your own, or even file a workers’ compensation claim on your own, you could lose out on significant compensation that we could help you secure as efficiently and effectively as possible under the circumstances.

Special Considerations: Off-Site Injuries, Repetitive Stress Injuries, and Exacerbation of Preexisting Conditions

You will certainly want to speak with our team if your injuries did not result from an accident at a traditional job site. Whether you are pursuing personal injury damages, workers’ compensation benefits, or an insurance settlement, if your injuries occurred off-site, were the result of repetitive stress, or occurred due to the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions, your case will be particularly difficult to prove. Our reputable team is on your side and will build the strongest possible case on your behalf. However, it is particularly important that with this kind of complex case that can be difficult to prove, you speak with an attorney as soon as you possibly can.

Connect with a Reputable Attorney Today

At Cohen Injury Law Group, it is our great privilege to represent the interests of hardworking people. We have extensive experience navigating both personal injury matters and workers’ compensation issues on behalf of construction workers. If you are worried about rising medical costs, lost wages, and other financial losses resulting from your injuries, know that we can help you secure rightful compensation for your harm.

If you have not yet connected with our Santa Monica, CA construction injury lawyer team, please do so now. You can schedule a risk-free, confidential consultation online or you can call our office directly. We look forward to speaking with you and to learning about how we can help you during this stressful time.