Construction Accidents

For decades, I have handled cases for millwrights, pipefitters, plumbers, painters, glassworkers, operating engineers, laborers and other trades.

Trip and fall/slip and fall: The law is changing concerning personal injury cases or compensation beyond worker’s comp. For years, a construction worker could not sue for trip and fall or slip and fall (except in a common work area), but changes in the Michigan Supreme Court create hope that it will again be possible for an injured worker (or injured consumer) to sue for a trip and fall or slip and fall, even if the accident did not occur in a common work area.

A common work area is a place where more than one trade is working or is expected to work, such as a walkway. If the general contractor neglected its housekeeping duties and let material build up in a walkway, and you tripped on, you may have a claim for negligence against the general contractor.

You can never sue in negligence if the negligence that caused your accident was that of a co-worker, or your employer. In that case, you are limited to worker’s compensation (or also no fault insurance if the accident involved a moving vehicle). You can only sue for negligence (on top of worker’s comp) if the person who caused the accident worked for another contractor.