In Delaware, road work is part of the reality many drivers need to face. While many motorists are concerned about their safety when driving near construction sites, workers at these sites can be especially in danger of sustaining injury.

Construction workers on road work sites can be injured in a number of ways. They can be crushed by industrial vehicles, such as cranes, which are essential to the site. They can also be hit by drivers who fail to use added caution on these sites.

Injuries on road work sites can be catastrophic. Construction workers may suffer fractures, amputations, soft tissue injuries, back injuries, head trauma, crushing injuries, burns and other complications. The results can leave them unable to work for weeks and may even leave them permanently injured.

Construction Workers’ Compensation in Delaware

Workers’ compensation in Delaware is intended to protect many types of workers, including construction workers. Any employers with one or more workers are expected to pay for this type of coverage for their workers. Employees should not pay for this coverage.

In the event that you are injured on a construction site, workers’ compensation is meant to pay for medical costs as well as a portion of your average weekly wages while you are unable to work, without you having to go to court to secure these benefits. The goal of this coverage is to get injured workers benefits quickly and without legal processes.

In reality, however, it is not always simple for construction workers on road work sites to get benefits. There are many reasons why workers’ compensation benefits may be denied or may not be enough to cover all the expenses needed. An employer, for example, may claim a construction worker is a contractor or does not qualify for benefits. An employer may also have failed to pay for coverage for his or her employees, even though this is against the law.

In some cases, the average weekly wage may be incorrectly calculated or weekly checks may be late with no explanation.

What to Do If You Are Injured on a Work Site?

If you are injured on a road work site where you are employed, report the injury — whether the injury is caused by a car accident or another incident. You must report the injury and your employer must file to ensure you get your benefits.

If your checks are late, you are not getting the benefits you need, or you are told you do not qualify for workers’ compensation, contact a qualified attorney for workers’ comp in Delaware. An experienced attorney can represent you if your employer is not obeying workers’ compensation laws and they — or their insurance company — are not honoring a policy.

If you expect your Delaware workers’ comp claim to be complex because you were seriously or permanently injured, you may want to contact an attorney after your construction accident even if you haven’t applied for workers’ compensation yet. An attorney can represent you and ensure your application gets you the benefits you deserve right from the start.

When choosing a lawyer for your workers’ compensation claim, look for an expert with many years of experience working with construction employees and who has a track record of securing benefits for workers. The sometimes-irregular hours of construction workers can mean there are additional challenges with calculating average weekly wages accurately and the physical work can mean injuries are more serious.

Both these factors mean you need an aggressive and experienced attorney representing you when you encounter any challenges.

If you’d like to speak to a compassionate and experienced attorney, contact Doroshow, Pasquale, Krawitz, and Bhaya for a consultation. Some of our attorneys have more than 35 years of experience as trial attorneys and our law firm has been helping workers’ compensation claimants and other clients for 25 years. We have secured benefits for workers who have been denied and we have gotten checks in on time for workers who have had their benefits delayed.

Contact us to find out what we can do for you.