Providence Construction Accident Lawyer

Tower cranes dotting the skyline over the Providence River, constant renovation in College Hill, and billion-dollar infrastructure projects like the I-195 Redevelopment District all testify to the construction boom reshaping Rhode Island’s capital. With growth, however, comes risk. According to federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fatality data, construction consistently ranks among the most dangerous industries in the state, with falls, struck-by incidents, and trench collapses appearing year after year in local inspection reports.

Our personal injury attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers are devoted to ensuring that the laborers who build our new hotels, biotech labs, housing, and highways are not left to carry the costs of preventable job-site injuries. In plain English, this page explains how Rhode Island law treats construction accident claims, what options an injured worker or grieving family has, and how our firm can help secure full and fair compensation.

• Falls from heights. Scaffolding erected along Westminster Street façades, aerial lifts used on the Providence Viaduct, and unfinished multi-story residential frames expose workers to dangerous elevations. Fall-protection violations remain OSHA’s most frequently cited offense nationwide and in Rhode Island. These accidents often result in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or wrongful death.
• Struck-by and caught-between injuries. Swinging crane loads along the Port of Providence, nail-gun discharges, or unsecured materials falling from upper decks can leave workers with fractures, amputations, or crushing injuries.
• Electrical contact. The patchwork of underground utilities beneath Providence’s historic streets increases the likelihood of accidental energization during excavation or renovation, causing burns or fatal electrocution.
• Trench and excavation collapses. OSHA citations issued in Warwick and Cranston in 2024 illustrate how inadequate shoring or failure to appoint a “competent person” can cause trench walls to cave in on workers within seconds.
• Equipment accidents. Forklifts operating in tight quarters, concrete mixers backing up, or defective power tools can all lead to serious harm when safety protocols are ignored or machinery is poorly maintained.

Each of these scenarios may trigger distinct legal remedies, so understanding the framework is crucial.

Rhode Island requires almost all employers to carry workers’ compensation coverage. If you are injured “in the course and scope” of your employment, you are typically entitled to wage replacement, medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation, and, in tragic cases, death benefits for dependents, regardless of who caused the accident. Monetary benefits begin on the fourth calendar day after the disability starts, and claims are administered by insurers or self-insured employers under the supervision of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.

Workers’ compensation, however, is limited. It does not pay for pain, suffering, or loss of enjoyment of life, and the weekly wage benefit is capped by state law. Moreover, insurers frequently dispute the extent of an injury, argue a worker has reached maximum medical improvement, or prematurely terminate benefits. Legal representation often becomes necessary to preserve and maximize the claim.

A construction site is a mosaic of contractors, subcontractors, equipment rental companies, property owners, engineers, and architects. When someone other than the direct employer—or the manufacturer of a defective product, causes or contributes to an injury, Rhode Island law allows the worker to pursue a third-party civil lawsuit for damages unavailable under workers’ compensation, such as full wage loss, future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and punitive damages.

Examples include:

• A subcontractor’s employee dropping unsecured rebar that strikes another crew.
• A general contractor failing to enforce fall-protection plans.
• A property owner neglects to remedy known electrical hazards.
• A crane was manufactured with a defective boom turntable.

Third-party actions proceed in the Rhode Island Superior Court and run parallel to the workers’ compensation claim. Any amounts recovered from the lawsuit are subject to a statutory lien reimbursing the comp insurer for benefits already paid, but skilled negotiation often reduces or waives a portion of that lien, leaving more in the worker’s pocket.

For most construction injury cases, you have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in the Rhode Island court. Waiting even a single day beyond that period generally bars the claim forever. Different, shorter notice periods apply when the defendant is a city, town, or other governmental entity, for example, 60 days’ notice for highway defect claims. Wrongful-death cases also carry a three-year limit, measured from the date of death rather than injury.

Workers’ compensation petitions have their own timing rules. Ideally, an injured laborer should report the incident to a supervisor immediately and ensure that the employer files the First Report of Injury with the Department of Labor and Training. Failure to provide prompt notice can compromise benefits and make later litigation more difficult.

Unlike many neighboring states, Rhode Island follows a pure comparative negligence model codified in R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4. Under this rule, an injured plaintiff’s compensation is reduced only by their percentage of fault, no matter how high. A worker deemed 90 percent responsible for failing to tie off could still recover 10 percent of total damages from other liable parties. Insurance adjusters sometimes exploit this doctrine by exaggerating the worker’s share of blame. Experienced counsel is essential to marshal safety-expert testimony, OSHA records, and site photographs that properly allocate responsibility.

• General Contractors and Construction Managers. These entities have non-delegable duties to coordinate safety, conduct regular inspections, and enforce OSHA regulations on the site.
• Subcontractors. Each trade contractor owes a duty to perform work in a reasonably safe manner and warn others of hidden hazards.
• Property Owners and Developers. Premises liability theories apply when owners retain control over dangerous areas or fail to disclose latent defects.
• Equipment Manufacturers and Rental Companies. Products liability law allows suit for design or manufacturing defects, inadequate guards, and insufficient warnings.
• Architects and Engineers. Professional-malpractice standards govern claims of negligent site planning, insufficient shoring specifications, or failure to monitor compliance with design documents.

Proper pre-suit investigation, including interviewing witnesses, analyzing contractual layers, pulling building permits, and obtaining OSHA inspection files through the Freedom of Information Act, is critical to identifying every responsible party before the limitation period expires.

Rhode Island law allows recovery of both economic and non-economic damages, including:

• Past and future medical bills (including specialized rehabilitation services at facilities such as the Robert F. Arrigan Rehabilitation Center).
• 100 percent of lost wages and the value of lost fringe benefits (overshadowing the partial wage benefit under workers’ comp).
• Loss of future earning capacity for disabling injuries.
• Pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Scarring and disfigurement.
• Loss of consortium for spouses.
• Punitive damages were egregious safety violations that show a conscious disregard for worker safety (e.g., deliberate removal of guardrails).

In wrongful-death actions, the decedent’s estate may pursue damages for lost net income, funeral expenses, and the survivors’ loss of society and companionship.

When a serious accident occurs, OSHA or the Rhode Island Occupational Safety and Health Administration (for public-sector projects) will open an investigation. Although OSHA’s findings can establish useful evidence of negligence, such as citations for lack of fall protection, its determinations are not dispositive in civil court. Nonetheless, swift legal intervention is vital to:

• Ensure the worker or family participates in the inspection under the “victim’s rights” provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
• Request documents and photographs before they are archived or redacted.
• Prevent spoliation by issuing preservation letters to contractors and equipment owners.

A favorable OSHA citation may bolster a punitive-damages claim or support a motion for partial summary judgment on liability.

• Seek medical attention right away, even if injuries seem minor. Delays create medical and legal gaps.
• Report the incident to your supervisor and ask for a copy of the accident report.
• Identify witnesses and obtain their contact information.
• Photograph the scene (hazard, equipment, safety gear) before conditions change.
• Preserve the evidence. Do not send damaged equipment back to a rental yard without documenting it.
• Consult a qualified construction-injury attorney before giving statements to insurance adjusters.

Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers has represented injured laborers across New England for more than two decades, recovering millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements in crane accidents, scaffold collapses, electrocutions, and other construction disasters. We maintain relationships with leading construction-safety experts, life-care planners, and forensic economists to build compelling evidence. Overlapping workers’ compensation and third-party claims require meticulous coordination to avoid benefit offsets and maximize net recovery. We handle both claims in-house, sparing clients from juggling multiple law firms.

• No Fee Unless We Win. We advance all litigation costs and charge no attorney’s fee unless and until we obtain compensation for you.
• Local Knowledge, Statewide Reach. With offices minutes from the Providence Superior Court and across the border in Boston, our attorneys understand the nuances of Rhode Island procedure while bringing the resources of a regional practice.
• Personalized Attention. You are never a file number. We provide regular case updates, return phone calls within one business day, and offer after-hours appointments for families dealing with medical crises.

If you or a loved one has been hurt on a Providence construction site, call (401) 555-1234 or fill out our online form for a free, confidential consultation. We will evaluate your workers’ compensation rights and identify every source of third-party recovery. You pay nothing unless we win your case.