Austin Construction Accident Lawyer

If you were hurt on a construction site in Austin, workers' compensation may not be your only option. Whether you have a claim beyond it depends on who else was involved and whether your employer carries workers' compensation. I am a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer at the Law Office of Robert House in River Place, Austin, Texas 78730, and I talk with injured workers, and with families of workers killed on a job site, about what other options may exist.

Who This Page Is For

This page is for injured construction workers, subcontractor and day-labor workers, and families of workers killed on Austin-area job sites. You may be worried about your job and your medical bills. Two questions come up most: is workers' compensation the only option, and who else might be responsible. I can talk through both with you.

Workers' Compensation and Claims Against Others

Workers' compensation is generally the route against your own employer when the employer carries it. It often helps with medical bills and part of lost wages, but it usually does not cover everything. A separate claim may exist against others whose negligence contributed to your injury, such as a general contractor, another company's crew, an equipment maker, a property owner, or a driver. I cannot tell you whether you have such a claim until I hear what happened, and I do not promise that one exists.

When an Employer Does Not Carry Workers' Compensation

Some Texas employers choose not to carry workers' compensation. They are sometimes called nonsubscribers. When that is the case, the rules are different, and that can open up a claim against the employer. Whether it does for you depends on the facts, so please call me before assuming anything either way.

Common Causes of Construction Injuries

• Falls from heights and scaffolds
• Falling objects
• Struck-by injuries from equipment or vehicles
• Trench and collapse incidents
• Electrical injuries
• Defective tools and equipment. See my Texas product liability lawyer page

Crashes involving trucks or heavy equipment are covered on my Austin truck accident lawyer page. If your fall happened on someone's property rather than at a work site, see my Austin slip and fall lawyer page. If a fall or other job site accident injured your spine, see my Austin spinal cord injury lawyer page.

Who May Be Responsible

A construction site usually has many companies working at once. Depending on the facts, responsibility can reach:

• A general contractor
• Subcontractors
• Makers of equipment or scaffolding
• Property or project owners
• Drivers of company vehicles

I look at everyone who may share responsibility, so your claim is not limited to one company when others are involved.

Evidence and Steps After a Job-Site Injury

• Get medical care, and report the injury to your employer.
• Keep your medical records and bills.
• Take photos of the site, the equipment, and your injuries if you can.
• Write down the names of coworkers and of every company on site.
• Ask that safety reports, incident reports, and any OSHA-related paperwork be preserved.
• Keep the defective tool or gear if you can.

Do not sign a release or give a recorded statement before you talk to a lawyer. Those papers and calls are often used to lock in what happened before you know the full picture.

Once you hire me, I can send a preservation letter to the companies involved right away, asking them to keep their video and records. That does not guarantee everything is kept, which is why I would rather send it early.

Injuries and What a Claim Can Cover

Construction injuries can be severe. They include fractures, head and spine injuries, burns, and amputations. A claim can seek compensation for medical care, lost income, long-term care, and the ways the injury changes your life. That depends on the facts and on who is responsible, and I do not promise any result.

Burned in a fire, explosion, or chemical or electrical accident at work? See my Austin burn injury lawyer page.

When a Worker Is Killed

If a worker was killed on a construction site, my heart goes out to the family. See my wrongful death lawyer Austin page. Who can bring a claim depends on the family, so please call me and we can talk it through.

Deadlines Are Strict

Injury claims have strict filing deadlines, and waiting risks losing evidence. I explain the general rules on my Texas personal injury statute of limitations page. Please call me early so we can confirm what applies to you.

Why Work With a Board Certified Trial Lawyer

I am Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a certification I have held since 2017. You work with me directly from River Place in Austin. Free consultation. No fee unless we recover for you. Call (512) 872-2264.

Austin Construction Accident FAQ

Can I sue if I was hurt on a construction site in Austin?

You may have a claim, but it depends on the facts. Workers' compensation is generally the route against your own employer if the employer carries it. Someone else, such as a general contractor, an equipment maker, or a property owner, may also be responsible. I cannot tell you until I hear what happened.

Is workers' comp my only option?

Not necessarily. Workers' compensation often helps with medical bills and part of lost wages, but it usually does not cover everything, and it may not be the only source of recovery. Whether you have another claim depends on who else was involved.

What if my employer doesn't have workers' comp?

Some Texas employers do not carry it. When that is the case, the rules are different, and that can open up a claim against the employer. Please call me so I can look at your situation.

Who can be responsible for a construction accident besides my employer?

Depending on the facts, it could be a general contractor, a subcontractor, an equipment or scaffold maker, a property or project owner, or a driver of a company vehicle. I look at everyone who may share responsibility.

I work as an independent contractor or subcontractor. Can I still have a claim if I was hurt by a hazard on the job site?

Possibly, but these cases turn on specific facts. Texas law generally expects independent contractors to account for hazards that are open and obvious, like an unguarded roof edge, so a claim based only on an obvious condition of the site can be hard to win. A claim may look different if the danger was hidden, if another company's crew did something unsafe while you were working, or if the general contractor or owner controlled how your work was done and made it more dangerous. Don't decide you don't have a case before we talk through what happened.

Does it matter whether I'm an employee or an independent contractor?

Yes, it can change which claims and benefits are available, including workers' comp and claims against other companies on the site. Your label on paper isn't always the whole story, so tell me how you were hired, paid, and supervised, and I'll explain what that means for you.

What should I do right after a job-site injury?

Get medical care and report the injury to your employer. Keep your records, take photos of the site and equipment, and write down names of coworkers and companies on site. Do not sign a release or give a recorded statement before you talk to a lawyer, and keep any defective tool or gear if you can.