Construction Accidents · Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale construction accident lawyer.

A fall from a scaffold, a tool dropped from three floors up, a trench wall that gave way — construction work is some of the most dangerous work in Florida, and Broward is one big job site right now. If you were hurt, you may have more than a workers’ comp claim. You may also have a separate lawsuit that pays far more. For 40 years, Robert DiStefano has fought for hurt workers and the people walking past these sites. Same-day, confidential case review. No fee unless we recover for you.

  • 40+ yearsFlorida personal injury
  • $100M+ recoveredfor Florida accident victims
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After a job-site injury

A Fort Lauderdale construction accident lawyer who finds the second claim most workers miss

You got hurt on a job site, your boss handed you workers’ comp paperwork, and you figured that was the end of it. Here is what a good Fort Lauderdale construction accident lawyer will tell you that no one else will: workers’ comp is often only half the story. It pays your medical bills and a slice of your lost wages, but it pays nothing for your pain, and it caps what you can recover. If someone other than your direct employer caused your injury, you may also have a full personal-injury lawsuit on top of comp — and that case can be worth many times more.

Construction sites are crowded with companies. There is the general contractor, the subcontractors, the property owner, the crane company, the scaffold supplier, and the maker of the saw or lift you were using. Any one of them can be a separate target if their carelessness or a broken machine put you in the hospital. That third-party claim is the part workers almost always leave on the table — not because it is not there, but because no one looked for it.

The injuries on these jobs are the worst kind: falls from height off roofs and scaffolds, falling objects and tools, getting struck by equipment or a swinging load, and getting caught between a machine and a wall or in a trench collapse. And it is not only workers who get hurt. People walking past a downtown site get hit by falling debris too. Whatever happened to you, the first move is the same — talk to us before you sign anything from the insurance company. The call is free.

The Florida law that decides your construction case

Workers’ comp, a third-party lawsuit, and the rules that connect them

A construction injury sits at the meeting point of two systems: the workers’ comp law that limits what you can get from your employer, and ordinary negligence law that lets you sue everyone else. Here is how the key pieces fit together.

Fla. Stat. § 440.11

Why comp is usually your only claim against your boss

Florida workers’ comp is a trade-off. Your direct employer pays your medical care and partial lost wages no matter who was at fault, and in exchange you generally cannot sue that employer for the accident. That is called employer immunity. But that wall only protects your employer — it does not shield a general contractor, a subcontractor on another crew, a property owner, or an equipment maker. Finding a target outside that wall is where real recovery begins.

Florida negligence law (third-party claims)

The separate lawsuit that pays for your pain

When a different company’s carelessness caused your injury, you can bring an ordinary personal-injury case against them on top of comp. Unlike workers’ comp, this claim can recover your full lost earnings, pain and suffering, and future medical needs. A defective lift, an unsafe scaffold built by another sub, a crane operator’s mistake — each can open a third-party case that dwarfs the comp benefits.

OSHA construction standards (29 C.F.R. 1926)

Safety violations as evidence of negligence

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the safety rules for U.S. construction — fall protection above six feet, guarded machines, shored trenches, hard-hat zones. An OSHA citation against a contractor does not automatically win your case, but it is powerful evidence that the company failed to do what safety required. We pull the OSHA inspection file early, before the site is cleaned up and the record goes cold.

Fla. Stat. § 768.81 amended 2023

The 51% fault bar in your third-party case

In any third-party lawsuit, the companies you sue will try to blame you — you skipped a harness, you stood in the wrong spot. Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule, if a jury finds you more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing; below that line, your award is cut by your share. Note that comparative fault does not apply the same way to your no-fault workers’ comp benefits — another reason both claims matter.

Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a) amended 2023

Two years to file the lawsuit

The 2023 reform (House Bill 837) cut the deadline for most injury lawsuits from four years to two years from the date you were hurt. Workers’ comp has its own, even shorter reporting clock. Missing either deadline can sink an otherwise strong claim — and on a job site, the equipment gets repaired and the crews move on within days.

This page provides general information about Florida law and is not legal advice. Statutes and case law change; your specific case requires a consultation.

Where these injuries happen in Broward

Broward is one giant construction zone — and we know it

Drive anywhere in the county and you hit a crane, a closed lane, or a fenced-off lot. All that work means more falls, more falling objects, and more people — workers and bystanders alike — getting hurt. Here is where we see it.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale high-rises

  • Las Olas & the Flagler Village towers — the condo and apartment boom puts workers high on scaffolds and decking, where a fall or a dropped tool can be deadly
  • Falling objects — tools, brick, and debris that come off a high floor can strike crews below and pedestrians on the sidewalk
  • Multiple contractors — big towers have a dozen subs on site, which is exactly where third-party claims live

Road & bridge work

  • I-95 and I-595 widening — highway crews working feet from live traffic face struck-by and caught-between dangers every shift
  • Bridge and overpass projects — height, heavy equipment, and night work raise the risk of serious falls and equipment strikes
  • Government and contractor layers — public road jobs often involve several companies, each a possible defendant

Residential & commercial builds

  • West Broward subdivisions — Plantation, Sunrise, and Coral Springs framing and roofing crews see falls from roofs and ladders
  • Warehouse & retail sites — forklift, trench, and steel-erection injuries on commercial builds across the county
  • Equipment and supply makers — a defective lift, ladder, or saw can add a product-liability claim to your case

Forty years working Broward injury cases means we know how these job sites are run, which companies cut corners, and how fast the equipment and the OSHA trail vanish after a worker goes down.

Why DiStefano Law

Robert handles your construction case himself

At a lot of firms, a hurt worker becomes a file number and never speaks to a real lawyer. That is not how we work. Robert DiStefano has practiced Florida personal injury for more than 40 years, and he personally looks at your accident, sorts out the comp side from the lawsuit side, and goes after every company that should pay.

You pay nothing up front. We take construction injury cases on contingency — no fee unless we recover for you — and the first case review is free. See related case results →

01

Tell us what happened

Call or send the form. We answer your questions and give you a candid assessment of whether you have a case — same day, at no cost to you, and in plain language.

02

We find every claim

We protect your workers’ comp benefits and hunt for the third-party lawsuit — the contractor, the property owner, or the equipment maker who really caused the harm.

03

We lock down the proof

We secure the OSHA file, the equipment, the site photos, and the witnesses before they disappear — then fight for full value in settlement or at trial.

Hurt a different way on a property? We also handle electrocution and live-wire injury claims, common on job sites near overhead and buried power lines, and ordinary slip and fall cases on unsafe property.

Construction injury questions, answered

What hurt Broward workers ask us most

I already have workers’ comp. Why would I need a lawsuit too?
Because workers’ comp does not pay for everything. Comp covers your medical care and only part of your lost wages, and it pays nothing for your pain and suffering. A separate third-party lawsuit — against a company that is not your direct employer — can recover your full lost earnings, your pain, and your future medical needs, often many times what comp alone provides. The two claims run side by side. Most hurt workers never find the second one because no one looks for it, which is exactly the part we dig into first.
How do I know if I have a third-party claim?
You likely have one if someone other than your direct employer caused or contributed to your injury. Think about who was on that site: the general contractor who ran the safety program, a subcontractor on another crew, the property owner, the crane or scaffold company, or the maker of the equipment that failed. If any of them was careless or supplied something defective, that is a separate target outside the workers’ comp wall. We map out every company involved in your job and figure out which ones can be held responsible.
The contractor got an OSHA violation. Does that help my case?
Yes, it can help a lot. An OSHA citation does not automatically win your case, but it is strong evidence that the contractor failed to follow the safety rules — fall protection, machine guarding, trench shoring, and the rest. We obtain the full OSHA inspection file, including the inspector’s findings and any photos, and use it to show the company knew the danger and ignored it. Because these records and the physical evidence can disappear once the site is cleaned up, getting a lawyer on it quickly really matters.
I fell off a scaffold. What kind of case is that?
Falls from height are some of the most serious construction injuries, and they often involve more than one responsible party. If the scaffold was put up wrong, missing guardrails, or built by a company that was not your employer, that company may be liable. If fall protection should have been provided and was not, the contractor who controlled site safety may share the blame. There may also be a defective-equipment claim against the scaffold or harness maker. We sort out who built it, who was responsible for it, and who has to answer for your injuries.
I was just walking past a site when I got hit. Can I make a claim?
Yes. You do not have to be a worker to bring a claim. If a tool, a piece of debris, or falling material came off a job site and struck you on the sidewalk or street, the contractor and property owner had a duty to keep the area safe — with barriers, netting, and warnings. When they fail and a passerby is hurt, that is an ordinary negligence case, and workers’ comp does not limit it. We pursue the companies responsible for the site for your full damages.
Client reviews

What clients say about working with us

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★★★★★

“The best lawyer in South Florida. Thank you DiStefano for all the hard work that you and your team have done to get me amazing results.”

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★★★★★

“I had a wonderful experience with Robert! He fought hard for me and kept me in the loop the whole time. The whole office is just great!”

Paulavia Google

★★★★★

“Mr. DiStefano is the best! Kept me up to date with everything, and his paralegal Michelle also kept us informed. Happy with my settlement — I highly recommend him.”

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Talk to a Fort Lauderdale construction accident lawyer today

Tell us what happened on the job. The review is free, you pay no fee unless we recover for you, and we will find every claim — not just the workers’ comp one.

(954) 572-8000
Robert DiStefano, Esq. · Fort Lauderdale