Who Can You Sue After a Construction Accident?

If negligence caused your recent construction site accident, you have the right to hold certain parties accountable for your losses. Who can you sue after a construction accident, though? The answer depends on several factors, including what evidence of negligence you can find and what contracts might influence your case.

The Raleigh construction accident lawyers with Whitley Law Firm can help you gather the evidence you need to meet North Carolina’s burden of proof before bringing a civil claim forward in court. We can make it easier for you to identify who you can sue after a construction accident by backing your demand for compensation with hard evidence of dangerous negligence.

Who to Hold Liable for Construction Accident Losses

You can hold a multitude of parties liable for your construction accident losses. Your right to do so will vary depending on the specific nature of your accident. In general, though, the construction accident claims to move forward in North Carolina civil courts emphasize the fault of parties like the following:

Site Managers and Corporations

Some construction crews work at the behest of a private manager or corporation. In these cases, wherein the crew operates as a collective of employees, accident survivors like you may have the right to hold either the site manager or the parent corporation responsible for your injuries.

Filing a lawsuit against a corporate party can sound intimidating, but the practice doesn’t have to be. Most construction corporations prefer to reach settlement agreements out of court, meaning that you can benefit from lost-based compensation relatively soon after your accident. However, some companies can try to bully you out of the compensation you deserve.

Our personal injury lawyers in Raleigh don’t bow to corporate bullies. We take every opportunity to fight for your right to maximize construction accident compensation. While we would love to settle out of court, our team isn’t afraid to go to trial and advocate for your right to comprehensive financial damages. 

Independent Contractors

Most corporations and construction bodies prefer to hire independent contractors over employees. Why? Because these parties do not have to take legal responsibility for the misconduct of independent contractors.

 If you get into an accident that a construction company blames on its independent contractors, you cannot sue that corporation. You can only sue the individual. This process can still have financial benefits, as most independent contractors have some form of insurance protecting themselves from the fallout of an accident.

Even so, it’s worthwhile to research whether or not a corporation is appropriately depicting its crew’s employment status. If it comes out that a corporation lied about a team member’s status to avoid liability for an accident, you may have an even larger lawsuit on your hands. 

Machine or Tool Manufacturers

There’s a chance that neither a corporation nor an individual bears the blame for your losses. Instead, the fault may fall on the manufacturer who produced a faulty machine. If a machine breaks and endangers you or your loved ones, you can work with an experienced lawyer to investigate that machine’s sale and maintenance.

If it comes out that other parties have suffered injuries similar to yours due to machine failures, you may have the opportunity to enter a class action lawsuit with other accident survivors. You can then sue the manufacturer for damages you need to get back on your feet. 

Third Parties

If neither construction crews nor corporations are to blame for your accident, who can you hold accountable for your financial losses? Third parties, including private motorists, can play a role in a construction site accident. Our team can determine these parties’ liability, as applicable, based on a thorough assessment of the accident scene.

You Need Evidence to Assign Fault for Your Losses

You cannot assign blame for your losses to any of these parties if you don’t have evidence of these parties’ negligence. You, as an accident survivor, are obligated to meet North Carolina’s burden of proof If you want a civil claim to move forward. 

Meeting that burden makes it easier for you to argue that not only did another party owe you a duty of care but that said party engaged in negligence that violated that duty. The negligence you bring forward to make your point can range from witness statements to electronic evidence to video footage of your accident.

Our team doesn’t make you return to the site of a traumatic injury to make your case. You can focus on getting the medical attention you need while we bring forward the data necessary to make your case. 

You Have a Limited Amount of Time to Assign Responsibility for a Construction Site Accident

If you want to take legal action against any of these parties, make sure you file a personal injury claim within the statute of limitations established in North Carolina General Statutes section 1-52. This personal injury statute of limitations gives you no more than three years to investigate your losses and bring a claim forward in civil court. 

Let Construction Accident Lawyers Represent Your Best Interests

You have the right to hold negligent parties accountable for the wrongs you endured under their care. It doesn’t matter if a corporation or an individual owed you a duty. You can work with experienced construction accident attorneys in North Carolina to hold inattentive parties accountable for the losses you endured due to their misconduct.

Whitley Law Firm boasts decades of combined legal experience helping survivors like you fight for fair compensation based on construction site accident losses. For more information about the services we can offer you or the overall value of your construction site accident case, get in touch with our team. You can book a free case evaluation with our team today.