Were you injured while working on a construction site in St. Petersburg, FL? Navigating the legal system can be incredibly challenging. Our experienced St. Petersburg construction accident lawyers can ensure you’re getting the fair compensation you deserve.
Our St. Petersburg construction accident attorneys at Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group have over 50 years of experience helping injury victims like you get the compensation they need. We’ve successfully recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our efforts.
You may deserve compensation under Florida personal injury laws in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits. If you have questions about your legal rights, call our law offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, at (772) 569-8155 to schedule a free consultation today.
How Can Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group Help After a Construction Accident in St. Petersburg?
Many injured workers quickly start to feel like they’re in over their heads. The paperwork alone can be daunting. It may even seem like your employer is challenging your right to benefits. How do you even know if your weekly check is fair?
When you hire Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group, you have a team of experienced St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys in your corner.
We can help with your case by:
- Determining who caused your injuries
- Handling the paperwork and claims process
- Determining how much compensation you deserve
- Protect you from strategies designed to downplay your losses
- Fight back if you’re being pushed back to work before you’ve healed
- Negotiate with the insurance companies for a full and fair settlement
You deserve to understand your legal options. If your right to benefits is being challenged, or you’re wondering whether you have a personal injury case, call our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers for a free consultation today.
How Common Are Construction Accidents in Florida?
Construction is a notoriously dangerous industry. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) studies have found that nearly half of all fatal workplace accidents involve construction workers.
In 2023, 306 Florida workers were killed on the job. 81 of those fatalities were in the construction and extraction industries.
We Handle All Types of Construction Injury Cases in St. Petersburg
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group is equipped to handle any type of construction injury claim, including those involving:
- Scaffolding accidents
- Falls from scaffolding, roofs, and ladders
- Scaffolding collapse
- Trenching accidents
- Excavation accidents
- Building collapses
- Electric shock
- Electrocution
- Fires and explosions
- Slip and fall accidents
- Nail gun accidents
- Heavy machinery accidents involving cranes or forklifts
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Exposure to toxic substances or live electricity
- Accidents where workers are hit by falling objects
- Accidents where a worker is caught between two objects
Any number of dangers exist on a construction site. As such, there’s a long list of ways that construction workers can get hurt.
What Is My St. Petersburg Construction Accident Case Worth?
This is one of the first questions most personal injury victims ask. After all, getting full compensation is the primary reason for taking legal action.
Your case value will depend on a few different factors, including:
- The length of your recovery period
- The severity of your injury
- How severely the injury impairs your earnings
- Whether you remain disabled after reaching maximum medical improvement (MMI)
- Your earning capacity after reaching MMI
- Your average wages prior to the disability
Your weekly workers’ compensation check is about ⅔ of your average weekly income prior to the accident. However, that depends on your prior earnings. The maximum you can receive in workers’ compensation benefits is $1,295 (for injuries occurring in 2025).
How Do I Get Compensation After a Construction Accident in St. Petersburg?
Most injured construction workers first file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. All construction employers in Florida are legally required to carry workers’ comp insurance.
It’s also possible that you could have the right to sue for damages. Because workers’ comp covers all workplace injuries, employers are protected from lawsuits. You can’t sue your employer. However, third parties can still be held liable when they are negligent.
It all depends on who was responsible for your injuries. You could even have rights under both sets of laws.
What Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits Are Available to Construction Accident Victims in St. Petersburg?
Workers’ compensation provides benefits for:
- Medical expenses
- Disability and lost income
- Death benefits in fatal injury cases
Any reasonable medical expense related to your injury should be covered. Your disability benefits depend on the extent of your disability. Disability benefits kick in once your injury impairs your earnings for at least seven days. If your disability lasts at least 21 days, you’ll also receive payments for the first seven days of disability.
The following types of benefits are available:
- Temporary Total Disability benefits if you are entirely unable to work during recovery
- Temporary Partial Disability if you can work with your injury but your earnings are impaired
- Impairment Income benefits if your earnings remain impaired even once you reach MMI
- Permanent Total Disability benefits if your injuries prevent you from performing any work again
A wider range of economic and non-economic damages are available in personal injury cases.
If a negligent third party caused your injuries, so you can sue for damages, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- 100% of your lost wages
- Lost job benefits
- Lost future earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Nursing care
- In-home assistance
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages in cases involving intentional wrongdoing or gross negligence
If you have questions about your right to compensation, call our lawyers in St. Petersburg today. We’ll sit down, review the details, and help you understand your legal options.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Construction Accident Lawyer in St. Petersburg?
The most common arrangement is a contingency fee structure. Instead of charging upfront fees, your attorney takes their fees out of your compensation award. We typically charge between 33% and 40%.
What Happens to My Ability to Recover Damages if I’m Being Blamed for a Construction Accident in Florida?
Your workers’ compensation benefits won’t be impacted if you share the blame.
In personal injury cases, you lose your right to damages under Florida’s modified comparative negligence law only if you were more than 50% responsible. When you share less fault, your damages are reduced.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Construction Accident Injuries
Some common examples of construction injuries include:
- Broken bones
- Back injuries
- Concussions
- Dislocations
- Shoulder injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Organ damage
- Burns
- Hearing loss or damage
- Eye injuries
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
It’s important to seek medical attention right away. Your injuries might not be immediately obvious. That said, be sure to see a doctor who was approved by your employer and their workers’ compensation insurance company.
What Causes Most Construction Accidents in St. Petersburg?
Accidents are most likely to occur when someone cuts corners to maximize profits.
On construction sites, accidents often occur because of:
- Lack of protective safety equipment
- Lack of fall protection
- Missing or damaged guardrails
- Lack of fall protection training
- Failure to supervise employees
- Negligent supervision of employees
- Communication failures
- Dangerous property conditions
- Failure to maintain work equipment and tools in safe working condition
- Missing machine guards
- Ignoring state or federal safety regulations
You may wonder why the cause of your accident is important. Establishing causation is the key to determining who was responsible. You could ultimately be entitled to more compensation if someone who wasn’t your employer caused your injuries.
How Do I Prove I Deserve Compensation After a Construction Accident in Florida?
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. That’s supposed to make it easier to receive compensation after a workplace accident. After all, you won’t have to prove negligence.
Instead, you can receive workers’ compensation if:
- You were classified as an employee and not an independent contractor
- You were injured because of something work-related
Negligence claims are more complex and require proof of:
- The defendant’s duty of care
- A breach of duty
- How that breach of duty caused your accident
- The damages you suffered
When you hire our St. Petersburg construction accident attorneys, you’re hiring an entire team who can locate the evidence to prove your case.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Construction Accident in Florida?
You must give your employer notice within 30 days of the accident. Once your employer has notice, they must notify their insurance company within seven days.
In personal injury cases, you have two years from the date of an accident to file a lawsuit.
Contact a Skilled St. Petersburg Construction Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Construction accident claims can be complicated. If you were injured on the job, call our St. Petersburg construction accident lawyers to learn about your legal options. Our team at Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group has the skills to help you get the money you deserve.
