Were you injured in an excavation accident while working in St. Petersburg, Florida? If you were injured at work, you could be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. But construction accidents are almost always extremely complicated, so you’ll want an experienced St. Petersburg excavation accident lawyer to handle your case. Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers can help.
Even when you’re entitled to workers’ compensation, that doesn’t mean you won’t have an uphill battle. And construction accidents often involve multiple parties, which means you could be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit for additional compensation.
Our legal team has over three centuries of combined experience, and we’ve won over $675 million for injured victims over the years. We stand up for injured workers like you. For a free consultation at our St. Petersburg law office, call at (727) 349-1728 or contact us online today.
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How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Excavation Accident in St. Petersburg
If you’re injured on the job, you must follow specific requirements to get your workers’ compensation benefits. And your employer’s insurance company isn’t likely to be eager to pay your claim.
Without a skilled attorney representing you, the insurance company may try to deny you the medical care you need and force you to go back to work before you’re physically or emotionally ready. We’ll protect you from unfair treatment and help you avoid common mistakes in the workers’ comp process.
You can trust our St. Petersburg workers’ compensation lawyers to:
- Oversee an investigation to uncover the cause of your workplace accident
- Identify any potentially liable third parties and preserve your right to file a personal injury lawsuit against them
- Collect all medical documentation needed to support your workers’ compensation claim
- Represent you at all administrative proceedings and settlement conferences
- Hire experts to analyze the excavation accident
- Review your medical records to make sure your workers’ comp coverage is sufficient
- Guide you through the process from beginning to end
We have decades of experience helping people recover the full value of their workers’ compensation claims. Three of our attorneys are Board Certified by the Florida Bar, a distinction shared by less than 2% of Florida attorneys. We’ve received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest peer rating from a nationally-recognized lawyer rating service. We’re a well-established, local firm with the resources to see your case through. Call our St. Petersburg, Florida law office now for a free case evaluation.
What Is an Excavation Accident?
An excavation is a man-made cut, depression, trench, or cavity caused by the removal of earth.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), excavation and trenching operations are some of the most dangerous in the construction industry. A trench is a narrow excavation below the ground level. Usually, a trench is deeper than it is wide.
An excavation accident can happen in several ways, including:
- Cave-ins
- Debris accidents
- Hitting utility lines (water, electric, fuel, sewer)
- Flooding
- Electrocution
- Equipment collapses into an excavated area
- Poor ventilation
Working in confined spaces can compound the effect of dangerous conditions, such as water, explosions, or toxic gasses.
What Causes Excavation Accidents in St. Petersburg, Florida?
OSHA has a set of regulations specific to excavating. Some accidents occur when safety regulations aren’t followed.
Some common causes of excavation accidents include:
- Improper classification of soil, leading to a cave-in
- Improper water removal system
- Insufficient site inspection
- Inadequate shoring, sloping, or other protective systems
- Inadequate supports
- Failure to make a comprehensive safety checklist
- Insufficient training or supervision
Narrowing down the cause of an excavation accident can be complicated. We can hire respected experts in the construction industry to help us analyze the technical aspects of your case.
What Compensation Is Available After a St. Petersburg, FL Excavation Accident?
If you’re injured in a workplace accident and your employer is the only liable party, you’ll probably be limited to workers’ compensation benefits, which provide:
- Medical treatment
- Lost time benefits
- Two-thirds of your average weekly wage
How long you can receive replacement wages will depend on the severity of your injury. We can evaluate your case based on your medical records and give you an idea of what to expect. Initial consultations are always free.
If someone other than your employer was responsible for your accident, you might be able to file a personal injury lawsuit. That’s a civil lawsuit separate from the workers’ comp system, and it’s based on negligence.
You can generally recover economic and non-economic damages, which include:
- The full value of your past and future wages
- All of your medical expenses, including costs for future care
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Physical pain
- Emotional and repetitive trauma injuries
- Permanent Disability and disfigurement
We’ll let you know if you should pursue workers’ comp, a personal injury case, or both.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in St. Petersburg
If you were injured in a workplace accident involving excavation or trenching in Pinellas County, you could be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits. We’ll put our more than 300 years of combined legal experience to work for you. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients who trusted us with their future.
Call today for a free consultation with one of our St. Petersburg excavation accident attorneys to answer some of your frequently asked questions.
