A gravity-related accident can have dire consequences on a construction site. Such accidents often occur when general contractors, owners, or site managers fail to provide the protections necessary to keep workers safe. Workers need the proper safety equipment to execute tasks at an elevated height.
How a scaffold law can affect an injury claim
A gravity-related accident can involve both injuries resulting from falls or falling objects. Here are some of the ways that gravity-specific laws can affect a personal injury claim:
- Scaffold law violations differ from other construction injuries in that the general contractor or job site owner can be held to ‘absolute liability.’
- An ‘absolute liability’ designation means that no matter how a worker may have contributed to their own injury or acted negligently, this information is considered irrelevant in court.
- Even if a worker acted negligently immediately before the accident, a scaffold law violation would prevent that disclosure from negatively affecting an injury claim.
- This distinction regarding negligence may also apply to the amount of compensation available. The comparative negligence used in other personal injury claims may not apply to scaffold law. Therefore, a construction worker or contractor may be eligible for full compensation in a qualifying accident.
Pursuing the compensation you need
The injuries from a gravity-related injury are more likely to be severe. The rehabilitation needed to repair those injuries can take years of treatment, possibly indefinite in duration for chronic ailments and damage. It would help if you didn’t have to bear the financial burden for someone else’s lack of care. Pursue all the options available for fair compensation.
