Michigan Construction Accident Lawyers

Can I sue someone besides my employer after a Michigan construction accident? Often, yes, but it depends on who owed and breached a separate duty. Workers' compensation is generally the exclusive remedy against the direct employer under MCL 418.131, except for intentional torts. Non-employer defendants such as general contractors, subcontractors, property owners, equipment manufacturers, vehicle drivers, or public-project entities may be liable when their own conduct caused the injury.

Workers' Comp Vs. Third-Party Construction Claims

Michigan Construction Accident Attorneys — Workers' Comp Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling

A roofer falls from scaffolding because a general contractor failed to install required guardrails. An electrician is burned when a site supervisor ordered work on an energized panel without proper lockout procedures. A laborer is struck by a falling steel beam because a subcontractor ignored the rigging inspection schedule. Michigan's workers' compensation system will pay some of those costs. It will not pay for pain and suffering. It will not pay full lost wages. And it will not account for what a catastrophic construction injury does to a family over twenty or thirty years.

Christopher Trainor & Associates has spent more than 35 years representing construction workers injured on Michigan job sites. Our approach starts with workers' compensation — making sure every benefit the WDCA provides is claimed and paid. It doesn't stop there. We investigate every party who had control over the conditions that caused the injury: the general contractor, the property owner, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers. When those parties contributed to the injury, we file third-party claims that open the door to the full compensation workers' comp leaves on the table.

Every case is on contingency. Nothing upfront and no fee unless we win.

Construction Accident Case Results

Every case is different and past results don't guarantee a future outcome.

• $1,200,000 — Settlement for a roofer who fell from a scaffold due to missing guardrails, suffering multiple spinal fractures and a traumatic brain injury. The general contractor had been cited for fall protection violations at the site three months earlier.
• $875,000 — Recovery for an electrician who suffered severe burns after the general contractor failed to enforce lockout/tagout procedures on an energized panel.
• $650,000 — Settlement for a laborer struck by a falling steel beam on a commercial construction site in Oakland County, resulting in a shattered pelvis and permanent mobility limitations.

In each of these cases, the responsible parties denied liability initially and offered far less than our clients deserved. The recoveries came from thorough investigation, expert testimony, and preparation for trial.

Types of Construction Accidents We Handle

Our Michigan construction accident attorneys represent workers across every trade and every type of job site incident.

• Falls from scaffolding and roofs
• Crane and heavy equipment accidents
• Electrocution and electrical burns
• Trench collapse and cave-ins
• Struck-by-object injuries
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Chemical and toxic exposure
• Fire and explosion
• Structural collapse
• Defective equipment and tool injuries

Falls are the leading cause of construction site deaths, accounting for more than one-third of all construction fatalities nationwide. Whether you fell from a roof, were struck by a crane load, or were trapped in a trench collapse, the question we start with is the same: who had control over the conditions that caused this, and did they meet their legal obligations?

Michigan Construction Safety Laws and Your Rights

Multiple layers of federal and state law govern construction site safety and determine who bears responsibility for a worker's injuries.

OSHA Federal Safety Standards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets minimum safety requirements for every construction site in the country. OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR 1926) govern fall protection, scaffolding, excavation and trenching, electrical safety, personal protective equipment, crane operation, and hazardous materials handling. When a contractor violates these standards — and an inspector documents it — that citation is powerful evidence of negligence in a third-party lawsuit. OSHA records are among the first things we obtain.

Michigan Construction Safety Standards Act
Michigan's own Construction Safety Standards Act supplements federal OSHA requirements with state regulations covering structural integrity, fire prevention, ventilation, and equipment maintenance. A violation of these standards can be strong evidence of negligence and breach of duty, depending on the defendant, rule, and facts.

Workers' Compensation Under the WDCA
Michigan's Workers' Disability Compensation Act entitles injured construction workers to medical benefits and partial wage-loss compensation from their employer's workers' comp insurer, regardless of fault. The tradeoff is that workers' comp is generally the exclusive remedy against the direct employer under MCL 418.131, except for intentional torts. You generally cannot sue your direct employer in a negligence lawsuit, but you may be able to file a workers' comp claim while pursuing third-party claims against non-employer parties whose separate negligence caused the injury.

Third-Party Liability Claims
Workers' compensation immunity generally protects the direct employer, not every party on the site. General contractors, property owners, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, and other non-employer parties may be sued under Michigan's tort law when they owed a separate duty and caused the injury. These claims are subject to a three-year statute of limitations under MCL 600.5805 and can allow recovery of damages — including pain and suffering, full lost wages, and loss of enjoyment of life — that workers' comp does not provide.

Fall Protection Requirements
Both OSHA and Michigan law impose specific requirements for fall protection for work performed at heights of six feet or more, including guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems. Failure to provide required fall protection is consistently one of the most commonly cited OSHA violations on construction sites — and one of the most common causes of the construction injuries our firm handles.

Serving Construction Workers Across Michigan

Michigan Legal Center represents injured construction workers statewide, from major city projects to industrial sites, road work, residential builds, and rural job sites. Our 10-office Michigan footprint helps us move quickly on site photos, subcontractor records, safety documents, OSHA or MIOSHA materials, medical proof, and local court filings wherever the injury happened.

Call (248) 886-8650 any time for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.