Sammamish Construction Accident Attorney
Sammamish sits on a plateau that has been building out for decades, and the cranes, framing crews, excavators, and delivery trucks never fully leave. New homes, townhome projects, road and utility work, and remodels all put workers and passersby near falls, trenches, and heavy equipment. When one of those jobs goes wrong, the injured person usually needs more than a workers’ compensation claim, and finding the right defendant is half the battle. Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm that represents construction accident victims in Sammamish and across King County, and a Sammamish construction accident attorney from our team can look past the employer to the property owners, general contractors, and equipment makers who share responsibility.
The stakes on a job site are physical and financial at once. A fall from a roof or scaffold can mean a spinal injury or a brain injury. A trench collapse can crush. An electrical contact can end a career. Meanwhile the paycheck stops, and the workers’ compensation check, if it arrives, rarely covers what a family actually loses.
That gap is why third-party claims matter. Workers’ compensation is the starting point, not the ceiling, and the claims we pursue against other negligent parties can reach losses that the state system does not.
Why Choose Injury Law Group NW for a Construction Injury Claim
Injury Law Group NW represents injured people and grieving families in Sammamish, Issaquah, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Kent, Renton, Seattle, and throughout King County and the greater Puget Sound region. Our practice focuses on personal injury, including construction accidents, and we handle cases on a contingency fee basis. Consultations are free and confidential, and you owe no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. If your injuries make travel hard, we will meet you at home or at the hospital.
Construction cases are fought by insurers and corporate defendants with deep resources, and our lawyers spent their earlier careers on that side of the table. Founding partner Troy Hunter spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, where he defended construction defect and personal injury claims. Attorney David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at the Seattle defense firm Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, trying high-stakes catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases to judges and juries. Both are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. David has been selected to the Super Lawyers list and teaches trial and deposition skills as faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Troy also serves as a dispute mediator. Our attorneys have argued at every level of the Washington court system, from district court to the Washington Supreme Court, and the firm is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice. Associate attorneys Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold complete the team, and case managers return calls and texts promptly.
That background shapes how we build a claim. We know which records contractors’ insurers request first, how they value a spinal or brain injury, and when they are preparing to settle versus preparing to fight. We prepare every claim as though it will be tried, because carriers pay more fairly when they know the lawyer across the table will go to court. Our results include a mid-six-figure settlement for a family of five whose minivan was forced into the I-5 center barrier by a semi-truck, and more than $1 million for parents whose newborn died after a hospital failed to adequately test for Group B Strep, a case that also led the hospital to change its procedures. Clients describe us as responsive, honest, and clear. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome. David is fluent in Russian and Warren speaks Spanish, so we also serve families in their own language.
Types of Construction Accidents and Who May Be Liable
- Falls from Roofs, Ladders, and Scaffolding: Hillside and multi-story residential builds around Sammamish put framers and roofers at height daily. Missing guardrails, poorly erected scaffolds, and inadequate fall protection point toward the general contractor, the scaffold company, or the property owner.
- Trench and Excavation Collapses: Utility, drainage, and foundation work requires digging, and unshored walls can bury a worker in seconds. Responsibility often runs to the excavation contractor and whoever controlled the site.
- Electrocution and Power Line Contact: Cranes, lifts, and metal ladders working near overhead lines, or faulty temporary power, can cause burns, cardiac injury, and death.
- Crane, Forklift, and Heavy Equipment Accidents: Operator error, poor maintenance, and defective machinery all contribute. A manufacturer or rental company may be a defendant alongside the contractor.
- Struck-By and Falling Object Injuries: Tools, materials, and debris dropped from above injure workers and also pedestrians and neighbors near active sites.
- Traffic and Delivery Truck Crashes at Work Zones: Flaggers, road crews, and drivers near construction on Sammamish’s arterials face collisions with distracted motorists and trucks hauling materials.
- Injuries to the Public and Visitors: Homebuyers, inspectors, delivery drivers, and passersby are hurt by unsecured sites, open excavations, and poor warnings, and they are not limited to workers’ compensation at all.
- Toxic Exposure and Defective Equipment: Asbestos, silica, fumes, and faulty tools or safety gear can support product liability claims against manufacturers.
What to Do After a Construction Injury in Sammamish
Get medical care first, and make sure the provider knows the injury happened at work. Head and spine injuries can look minor for days. If you are at a hospital in the Eastside area, tell staff everything, because records written in the first hours often become the backbone of the claim.
Report the injury to your employer in writing and file the workers’ compensation claim. Doing so does not stop you from pursuing a separate claim against a negligent third party, such as a general contractor, a property owner, or an equipment manufacturer.
Preserve what you can. Photograph the site, the equipment, the missing guardrail, the weather, and your injuries. Collect names of coworkers and subcontractors who saw it. Keep the harness, boots, or tools you were using, and do not let them be thrown away. Ask whether the work was inspected or cited by state workplace safety officials, since inspection records can be powerful evidence.
Be careful with insurers. A company adjuster may call quickly and ask for a recorded statement. You generally are not required to give one to a party you are making a claim against, and what you say about how the fall happened can be used to shift blame to you. Speak with a lawyer first.
Watch the clock. Most Washington personal injury lawsuits must be started within three years, counted from the date of injury, and wrongful death claims follow the same three-year rule counted from the date of death. A lawsuit is treated as begun when it is filed or served, provided the other step follows within 90 days. If a city, county, or other local government may share fault, you must first present a claim on the standard form to its designated agent, then wait 60 calendar days before suing, and email or fax generally does not count as presentment. Claims against the state have their own 60-day waiting period.
If you sue, cases against defendants in this area are typically filed in King County Superior Court, which hears civil cases of every size. The courthouse in Seattle is where matters from north of I-90 are generally heard, while the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent handles cases from south of that line. Because serious construction injuries usually exceed the $100,000 ceiling on King County District Court’s civil jurisdiction, they belong in Superior Court. We will tell you which courthouse applies once the defendants and facts are known.
Claims That Go Beyond Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation pays medical bills and part of lost wages without regard to fault, but it generally does not pay for pain, suffering, or the full loss of earning capacity. Those losses are recoverable from a negligent third party. In a construction setting, third parties are common: a general contractor who controlled the site, an owner who ignored a known hazard, a subcontractor whose crew created the danger, or a manufacturer whose equipment failed.
Washington applies comparative fault. If you are found partly responsible, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault but you are not barred from recovery. Defendants lean on this hard in construction cases, arguing that a worker ignored a safety rule or misused equipment. Fault can also include unreasonable assumption of risk, so how the facts are presented matters.
A separate rule affects claims about faulty construction itself. Claims arising from defective construction accrue only within six years of substantial completion of the improvement, meaning the point when it could be used for its intended purpose. That limit usually does not protect an owner or tenant in possession and control of the property when the claim arises, but it can matter against designers and builders. If an older building or structure caused your injury, we look at that timing early.
When a worker is killed, the personal representative may bring a wrongful death action for the benefit of the spouse, registered domestic partner, and children, and if there are none, for parents or siblings. Washington also allows survival claims for the decedent’s own losses. These cases involve both funeral and financial support losses and the loss of the relationship.
Sammamish Construction Accident Questions Answered
Can I sue if I am already receiving workers’ compensation?
Often yes. Workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against your own employer in most situations, but it does not block a claim against other responsible parties such as a general contractor, property owner, or equipment maker.
How long do I have to file a construction injury lawsuit?
Generally three years from the date of injury. Wrongful death claims also run three years from the date of death. Claims against government entities require a formal claim and a 60-day wait before suing, so the practical deadline may be earlier than it appears.
What if I was partly at fault for my fall?
Washington reduces your compensation by your share of fault but does not bar recovery. If you were 30 percent responsible, you could still recover 70 percent. Insurers often inflate worker fault, so the facts deserve careful review.
Who can be a defendant in a construction accident case?
General contractors, subcontractors, property owners, developers, equipment manufacturers, rental companies, and sometimes government agencies. Your own employer is usually protected by workers’ compensation law, but other parties on the site are not.
What does a construction accident attorney charge?
We work on a contingency fee. The first consultation is free and confidential, and you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Should I give the contractor’s insurer a recorded statement?
You are generally not required to for a party you are making a claim against. Adjusters ask questions designed to minimize your injury or place blame on you. Talk with a lawyer first.
What if I am an undocumented or immigrant worker?
Injured workers have rights regardless of language or background. Our team includes a Russian-speaking attorney and a Spanish-speaking attorney, and we handle these claims with care for the concerns clients bring.
Can a pedestrian or neighbor hurt at a Sammamish job site file a claim?
Yes. People who are not employees are not limited to workers’ compensation. Owners and contractors must take reasonable steps to protect the public from falling objects, open excavations, and unsecured sites.
How long does a construction accident case take?
It depends on injury severity and how many parties are involved. Serious cases often need months of treatment before value can be fairly assessed, and cases with disputed fault or multiple defendants take longer. We prepare each as if it will be tried, which tends to move insurers toward fair offers.
Will health insurance or workers’ compensation cover my treatment while my claim is pending?
Workers’ compensation should cover treatment for work injuries, and your health insurance may cover other care. We help coordinate sources so bills are handled while the third-party claim proceeds, and we help you find appropriate doctors.
What if the injury was a brain injury that is hard to see on a scan?
Insurers often dispute brain injuries because symptoms can be subtle and imaging can look normal. We push for prompt diagnosis and build the medical and vocational evidence needed to show how the injury affects work and daily life.
Serving Sammamish and the Eastside Construction Injury Community
We represent construction accident victims in Sammamish, from the Plateau neighborhoods and the areas around Sammamish’s busy arterials to the new developments that continue to rise across the city. Our work extends to neighboring Issaquah, Redmond, Kirkland, and Bellevue, along with the broader Eastside communities where residential and commercial building stays active. We also serve clients in Kent, Renton, and Seattle, and across King County and the greater Puget Sound region.
Whether you were hurt on a Sammamish home build, a road and utility project, or a commercial site elsewhere in King County, our attorneys will review how the accident happened, who controlled the site, and which parties can be held responsible.
Talk With a Sammamish Construction Injury Attorney
A construction injury can cost you your income, your health, and your plans, and the companies responsible have lawyers and insurers working to limit what they pay. Speaking with a Sammamish construction injury attorney early helps preserve evidence and protect your deadlines. Call or text Injury Law Group NW for a free, confidential consultation. We will listen to what happened, explain your options, and pursue the medical care and compensation you need. We give hope. We get results.
