Costa Mesa Construction Accident Lawyer

When a Construction Injury Raises Questions Workers’ Comp Cannot Answer

A construction injury can change what work you can do, how much you can earn, and what your recovery will look like long after the initial treatment.

Workers’ compensation provides important benefits, but those benefits are only one part of the picture when another company, contractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer contributed to the accident.

Costa Mesa construction projects bring multiple businesses and trades together. A general contractor may oversee the project while subcontractors handle individual jobs, property owners control the premises, and equipment companies supply the machinery workers depend on.

When a safety failure by one of those parties causes an injury, the responsible company may face a separate claim outside the workers’ compensation system.

Easton & Easton is a multi-generational, family-run law firm representing injured people in Costa Mesa and throughout Orange County. Our firm has recovered more than $500 million for clients, including $26 million for a day laborer who suffered severe injuries while servicing an elevator at a construction site. TopVerdict.com ranked that result as the #1 personal injury settlement in California in 2023.

The first workers’ compensation payment is not always the end of the analysis. We examine how the accident happened, which companies were involved, and whether another party may be legally responsible for your losses. Contact Easton & Easton for a case evaluation.

Those credentials reflect decades of work handling serious injury claims in Orange County. We bring that experience to cases involving contractors, insurers, property owners, subcontractors, and other parties whose decisions may have contributed to a construction accident.

Construction Injuries We Handle in Costa Mesa

A construction site can change from a controlled workplace to a dangerous environment when basic safety measures are ignored. We represent workers and others injured around Costa Mesa construction projects, including subcontractors, delivery drivers, inspectors, and bystanders.

Our construction accident cases can involve:

• Falls from scaffolding, ladders, roofs, or unfinished floors
• Falling tools, materials, and construction debris
• Crush injuries involving cranes, forklifts, and heavy machinery
• Electrical injuries caused by exposed wiring or power lines
• Trench and excavation collapses
• Elevator, hoist, and lifting equipment failures

The type of accident is only the starting point. We also examine who supplied the equipment, who controlled the work area, which contractor directed the work, and whether required safety measures were followed.

Your Workers’ Compensation Claim May Not Be Your Only Source of Recovery

California workers’ compensation law limits when an injured employee can sue the employer for a workplace injury. California Labor Code § 3602 is an important part of that framework.

Workers’ compensation can provide medical benefits and partial wage replacement, but it does not provide the same categories of damages available through many third-party injury claims.

That difference becomes important when another party contributed to the accident.

A general contractor may have failed to address a dangerous condition. A subcontractor may have created an unsafe work area. A property owner may have known about a hazardous condition. An equipment manufacturer may have supplied machinery that was defective or unsafe.

A separate claim against one of those parties may allow an injured worker to pursue damages that workers’ compensation does not cover, including compensation for pain and suffering and certain losses tied to reduced future earning capacity.

We look beyond the identity of your employer to determine who else had responsibilities at the site and whether those responsibilities were breached. Understanding what a personal injury lawyer does in California can clarify how independent investigations uncover third-party fault.

That broader investigation can change the picture of what legal options are available.

Construction Accident Results That Show What a Third-Party Claim Can Mean

Serious construction cases can involve multiple defendants, disputed responsibility, and substantial long-term losses. Our firm has pursued significant recoveries by examining the conduct of every party connected to an unsafe site.

Past results are not a guarantee of the outcome in another case. Every claim turns on its own facts, evidence, injuries, and applicable law.

How Construction Accident Cases Move Through Orange County

Many serious civil lawsuits arising from Costa Mesa construction accidents are handled through the Orange County Superior Court system. Unlimited civil cases are heard at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, located at 700 Civic Center Drive West.

The location of the courthouse is only one part of handling a construction case in Orange County. These claims can involve extensive discovery, multiple defendants, competing insurance policies, expert testimony, and disputes over who controlled the worksite.

A Cal/OSHA investigation can also become an important source of evidence. When the agency investigates a qualifying workplace accident, inspection records, photographs, witness statements, and citations may help establish what happened and who was responsible for site safety.

We seek relevant records early in the case so the evidence can be evaluated before important details are lost or the parties involved begin presenting competing versions of the accident.

California Gives Construction Accident Claims a Limited Filing Window

The time available to bring a construction injury lawsuit depends on the parties involved and the nature of the claim.

For many personal injury lawsuits, California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 provides a two-year statute of limitations measured from the date of the injury.

Waiting until that period is close to expiring can put your claim at risk and leave less time to investigate what happened.

A different deadline may apply when a public entity is involved. Claims against a government entity can require an administrative claim to be presented within six months of the injury under California’s government claims procedures.

Construction cases also present practical reasons to begin investigating promptly. Consulting an attorney early helps clarify when to hire a personal injury lawyer in California before physical evidence is cleared from a job site. Equipment can be repaired or removed, work areas change, records can disappear, and people involved in the project may move on to other jobs.

Questions Costa Mesa Construction Accident Victims Ask

What has Easton & Easton recovered in construction accident cases?

Our reported results include a $26 million recovery for a day laborer severely injured while servicing an elevator at a construction site. TopVerdict.com ranked that result as the #1 personal injury settlement in California in 2023. We have also recovered $20 million and $7 million in other serious injury and premises liability matters involving disputed responsibility.

Past results cannot predict what another case may recover. A case review can help identify the evidence, responsible parties, and damages that may affect the value of a particular claim.

Can I pursue a lawsuit if I already filed for workers’ compensation?

Filing a workers’ compensation claim does not prevent every possible third-party lawsuit. Workers’ compensation usually provides the exclusive remedy against your employer for a covered workplace injury, but another company may still be liable when its conduct contributed to the accident.

That could include a general contractor, subcontractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer. We examine the relationships among the companies involved in the project before determining whether a third-party claim may be available.

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

Responsibility can extend beyond the company that employs you. Depending on the facts, a general contractor, subcontractor, property owner, equipment manufacturer, or another business involved in the project may have played a role in creating the hazard.

The important question is not only who employed you. It is who controlled the relevant work, created or knew about the danger, supplied the equipment, and had a legal duty that may have been violated.

Can I bring a claim if I was not a construction worker?

You do not have to work for the construction company to potentially have a claim. Delivery drivers, inspectors, pedestrians, neighboring business owners, and other people can be injured by falling materials, unsecured equipment, unsafe access points, or other construction-related hazards. Victims suffering life-altering trauma may also consult a Costa Mesa spinal cord injury attorney to address complex long-term care needs.

The legal analysis depends on how you were injured and which party was responsible for the condition that caused it. In catastrophic instances resulting in fatal site injuries, families may seek guidance from a Costa Mesa wrongful death attorney to explore survivor claims.

Does Cal/OSHA investigate every construction accident in Costa Mesa?

No. Cal/OSHA does not investigate every construction accident. The agency has specific reporting and investigation procedures for serious workplace incidents, including qualifying serious injuries, illnesses, fatalities, and certain hospitalization events.

When an investigation occurs, its records may provide useful evidence in a later civil claim. A Cal/OSHA citation is not required to pursue a third-party injury case, however.

What does a Costa Mesa construction accident lawyer cost?

We handle construction accident cases on a contingency-fee basis. That means there is no upfront attorney fee, and our fee is tied to a recovery in the case.

We also offer a free confidential case review so you can discuss the accident, your injuries, the companies involved, and the potential claims without committing to hire the firm.

Get Your Construction Accident Claim Evaluated Before the Evidence Changes

The workers’ compensation process may address some of the immediate consequences of a construction injury while leaving important questions unanswered.

Another party may have contributed to the accident, and that can open a separate path to compensation.

If you were injured at a Costa Mesa construction site, Easton & Easton can review what happened, identify the companies involved, and assess whether a third-party claim may exist.

Contact us for a free, confidential case review before you sign a settlement agreement or give the insurance company a final account of your injuries.

Costa Mesa, California Related Construction Accident Resources

• What Kind of Cases Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle in California?
• Are Personal Injury Settlements Taxable in California?
• How Are Personal Injury Settlements Paid Out in California?

Costa Mesa, California Construction Accident Legal Resources

• City of Costa Mesa Building Division – Permits & Construction Inspections
• Costa Mesa Police Department – Traffic Bureau Collision Reports
• Superior Court of California, County of Orange – Central Justice Center (Unlimited Civil Court)

About Costa Mesa, California

Home to the renowned South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa is a thriving economic and cultural hub in Orange County. However, ongoing commercial developments and infrastructure improvements across the city lead to elevated construction activity, increasing the risk of serious job-site incidents. In response, municipal inspectors and Cal/OSHA actively enforce rigorous safety standards to protect workers across active job sites. These ongoing oversight efforts help maintain workplace safety and foster community growth throughout Costa Mesa.