Greene & Phillips: Industrial Accidents
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Industrial plants and mills provide great jobs for many people in our area. But they can also be extremely dangerous. David Greene from Greene & Phillips Injury Lawyers joined us on Studio10 to provide some steps you should take if you or a family member is involved in an industrial accident.
The following questions and answers were provided by Greene & Phillips:
What actually constitutes an industrial accident?
Alabama has many large industrial workplaces from chemical plants, steel mills, gas and petroleum plants, to ship building. In each of these industries, there are inherent risks of injury to employees. Sometimes people make mistakes, and those mistakes can cause railings to fail causing someone to fall, explosions that can cause serious burns, or falling debris that can crush limbs or cause head trauma.
How do you know if you have a potential industrial accident case?
Your employer is required by law to provide a safe working environment. If they fail to do this, then they are responsible for your injuries and may be required to pay punitive damages on top of the cost of your medical treatment Punitive damages are money damages meant to punish the company for acting negligently.
If someone is injured in an industrial accident what should they do?
They should seek medical attention immediately. Make sure your manager is aware of the injury and that the appropriate forms have been filled out. Also, see if you can get witness statements from any of your co-workers that saw what happened. If you have a way to document the accident with pictures, do that too. Sometimes companies do the wrong thing, and try to cover up details of the accident and threaten their employees to not talk about the accident, so it’s important to recover as much evidence as soon as you can.
When and what kind of lawyer should you hire when you’ve been in an industrial accident?
It’s very important to hire a law firm that has previously handled this type of case. Industrial accidents can be very complex. There can be extensive investigations, third party responsibility, defective product issues, several different insurance companies, workers-comp issues, and more. A lawyer that isn’t experienced with this type of case could easily miss one of these issues and cost your case thousands of dollars.
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer to handle an industrial accident case?
At Greene & Phillips, you owe us nothing unless we are able to get money for you.
If someone has been involved in an industrial accident or has further questions, how can they get in touch with you?
We can let you know in a few seconds if we think you may have a case. Just call or text us 251-300-2000 in Mobile, or 205-500-4000 in Birmingham.
After that, stop by one of our offices for a free consultation. Usually takes about 30 minutes. If you can’t make it to us, we’ll come to you, or even meet virtually.
Finally, focus on getting better. We’ll handle all the investigation, bills, hospital liens, and other paperwork and negotiate a settlement on your behalf.
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