Construction workers on the busy highways nationwide, including in Colorado, face life-threatening hazards whenever they are improving roads to keep others safe. Sadly, it takes only a moment of distraction to cause an accident with devastating consequences, particularly in areas where construction workers move about. One such an accident in a neighboring state recently might have caused a permanent disability to an employee of a construction company.
The injured man says he was in the process of putting up a construction warning sign when a driver who was passing the construction zone smashed into him. He was unable to move because he was pinned up against the sign. He says he asked the driver to back up her car, and when she did, he saw his severed leg on the ground.
A person who has no first-aid training saw the car hitting the construction worker and rushed over to help him. He used his belt to fashion a tourniquet and controlled the bleeding until emergency workers arrived. They rushed the man to a hospital but noted that the victim could have been a lot worse off if that witness had not been there to help.
Any victim of a permanent disability injury in a construction zone accident in Colorado can pursue workers’ compensation benefits. However, in a case such as this one, in which the person who caused the injury is not linked to the same employer as the victim, there might be grounds for a third-party liability claim. A consultation with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can explore the possibility and suggest the most appropriate way to proceed. Whatever the chosen course of action, it is possible to pursue both a workers’ compensation claim and a civil third-party lawsuit, which may provide more comprehensive compensation.
Source: klkntv.com, “Injured construction worker, responders talk about Friday’s accident“, Oct. 19, 2017
