Construction Accident Lawyer in Redmond, Oregon
Hurt on a Redmond job site?
Workers’ comp is not the end of your claim.
Serving Injured Workers & Bystanders Throughout Deschutes County
Construction sites in Redmond, OR carry real risks, and when an injury happens, the legal path forward is rarely straightforward. We evaluate each claim thoroughly, building a personalized strategy around the specific circumstances of the accident, the parties involved, and the injuries sustained. Our firm serves clients throughout Deschutes County and the broader Oregon area, and we know how these cases move through the regional court system.
If you or someone you know was hurt on a Redmond construction site, contact Precision Litigation Northwest today at 541-948-8830 for a free consultation with no obligation to proceed.
Why Redmond Construction Accident Victims Choose Our Firm
We keep clients informed at every stage rather than leaving them to wonder where things stand. When a fair settlement is within reach, we pursue it. When it isn’t, we prepare for trial.
Our attorneys regularly handle cases in the Deschutes County Circuit Court in Bend, where lawsuits arising from Redmond job sites are filed. That familiarity with local procedures and regional legal factors shapes how we approach each claim. When defective equipment is involved, we bring in the experts and, where needed, co-counsel.
Common Construction Site Injuries in Redmond
Oregon OSHA identifies four leading causes of fatal construction injuries, sometimes called the “Fatal Four”: falls, struck-by incidents, electrocution, and caught-in or caught-between accidents. Each category covers a distinct range of site conditions.
- Falls: Improperly secured scaffolding, missing guardrails, and unprotected roof edges are frequent contributors.
- Struck-by incidents: Falling tools, swinging crane loads, and passing forklifts all create hazards on active sites.
- Electrocution: Temporary wiring, overhead power lines, and energized equipment on live sites present serious risks.
- Caught-in or caught-between accidents: Heavy machinery malfunctions and equipment failures in this category may also support a product liability claim against the manufacturer, separate from any negligence claim.
Workers’ Compensation, Third-Party Claims, & Oregon’s Comparative Fault Rule
Most Oregon employers must carry workers’ compensation insurance, which provides wage replacement and medical benefits regardless of fault. That coverage is a starting point, not a ceiling. Workers’ compensation generally prevents an injured employee from suing their direct employer directly, and it doesn’t compensate for pain and suffering or the full value of lost earning capacity.
When another party contributed to the injury, a separate personal injury lawsuit can run alongside or after a workers’ compensation claim. Several legal theories apply on construction sites:
- Employer Liability Law (ELL) claims: Oregon’s ELL allows claims against a general contractor, subcontractor, or other party who controlled the work or shared a common enterprise with the injured worker’s employer, holding them to a heightened safety standard.
- Premises liability: A property owner or occupier may be liable when a dangerous site condition caused or contributed to the injury.
- Product liability: A manufacturer may be responsible when defective machinery or tools caused the harm.
Oregon follows modified comparative negligence under ORS 31.600. A claimant found 50 percent or less at fault can still recover damages, reduced by their share of fault. Recovery is barred entirely if the claimant is found more than 50 percent responsible. How fault gets allocated is one reason thorough case preparation matters from day one.
Start Your Construction Accident Claim at No Upfront Cost
We handle construction accident cases on a contingency-fee basis: no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Call us at 541-948-8830 or use the form below to speak with a construction accident attorney serving Redmond and all of Deschutes County. The consultation is free, and there’s no obligation to proceed.
Oregon’s Statute of Limitations for Construction Accident Lawsuits
Under ORS 12.110(1), injured parties generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in Oregon. Missing that deadline typically forecloses the right to recover, regardless of how strong the underlying claim is.
One exception applies to occupational diseases and latent injuries, where symptoms may not appear right away. In those situations, the two-year period may run from the date the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. It’s also worth knowing that filing an insurance claim or negotiating with an insurer doesn’t pause the statutory deadline. Those conversations can continue while the clock runs.
How We Handle a Construction Accident Claim
Every case begins with a free, no-obligation consultation. We review the accident details, the injuries, and the circumstances that led to the incident before recommending a course of action.
- Case evaluation: We examine the facts, identify the parties who may share liability, and assess the full scope of damages.
- Evidence collection: We gather medical records, photographs, site documentation, and witness statements to build a complete record.
- Ongoing communication: We provide updates at each stage so clients know where their case stands.
- Negotiation: We negotiate with insurance companies and other involved parties to reach a fair resolution efficiently.
- Litigation: When negotiations don’t produce a just outcome, we prepare the case for trial.
How Oregon OSHA Citations Factor Into a Construction Accident Claim
Oregon operates its own state OSHA program, independent of the federal agency, setting and enforcing workplace safety standards for construction sites statewide. Employers are required to assess sites for hazards, keep equipment in safe working condition, and implement protective measures for workers and members of the public near active projects.
When an accident occurs, a citation from Oregon OSHA or a finding from a local inspector doesn’t automatically establish liability. What it does create is a documented record that conditions on the site fell below the applicable standard of care, and that record can be meaningful in building a claim. We seek inspection reports, safety citations, and related records as part of construction accident cases we handle in Deschutes County.
Construction Accident lawyers near you
Serving clients in central and wider Oregon. Local pages for the communities we serve most:
How a third-party claim runs alongside workers’ comp in Oregon
Oregon lets an injured worker pursue anyone outside their own employer whose negligence caused the injury (ORS 656.154). The statute calls it an election: you choose to go after that third party (ORS 656.578). The workers’ comp insurer can force the choice with a written demand, and if you do not elect within 60 days, the claim is treated as assigned to the insurer, which can then pursue it on its own terms (ORS 656.583). A letter from the comp carrier about “electing” is a deadline, not routine paperwork.
Workers’ comp pays your medical care and, while you cannot work, about two-thirds of your wages (ORS 656.210). It pays nothing for pain, and it is repaid from a third-party recovery in an order the law sets: costs and attorney fees first, then at least one-third of the balance to you, then what the insurer spent and expects to spend on your claim, with anything left over also going to you (ORS 656.593). We run that math before any number is accepted, so you know what you will keep.
The first week after a Redmond job site injury
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Oregon requires notice within 90 days, and a signed report counts (ORS 656.265). Tell the doctor at St. Charles Redmond or urgent care that it happened at work. Then write down what the site records will not show: the general contractor and every subcontractor on site that day, who built the scaffold, set the ladder or dug the trench, who ran the equipment, and who saw it happen. Keep your boots, your harness and anything that failed.
For falls, Oregon OSHA’s construction rules set trigger heights, the height at which a worker must be protected from falling (Oregon OSHA fall protection). Whether the edge you fell from was above that height and left unguarded is often the first question in a scaffold or roof fall. If the general contractor’s insurer calls, you do not have to give a recorded statement.
Construction accidents that injure people who are not on the crew
Job sites hurt people who never worked them: a driver in a work zone on US-97 or OR-126, a pedestrian under a crane swing, a child who wandered onto an unfenced lot after hours. Without workers’ comp in the way, that claim runs directly against the contractor, the property owner or the road authority, and it covers medical care, lost income and pain from the first dollar. If ODOT, Deschutes County or the City of Redmond ran the project or the work zone, a written tort claim notice is due within 180 days (ORS 30.275), long before the two-year deadline (ORS 12.110). Call 541-948-8830.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sue if I was hurt on a Redmond job site and I’m getting workers’ compensation?
Yes, if someone other than your employer contributed to the injury. Workers’ compensation generally bars a suit against your own employer, but a general contractor, another subcontractor, the property owner or the maker of defective equipment can be liable in a separate claim that includes pain, suffering and full lost earning capacity. We handle that third-party claim; we don’t handle the workers’ compensation claim itself.
What is Oregon’s Employer Liability Law and does it apply to my injury?
Oregon’s Employer Liability Law lets an injured worker hold a general contractor, or another company that controlled the work or shared a common enterprise with the worker’s employer, to a heightened standard of care. It applies to work involving risk or danger, which describes most construction. If a contractor other than your employer ran the site or the task that hurt you, it likely applies.
Does an Oregon OSHA citation help my construction injury claim?
It helps. A citation is evidence that a safety rule was broken, and a broken rule that caused the injury supports negligence, though it is not automatic proof. We request the Oregon OSHA file, inspection photos and any abatement records, and compare them to the site’s safety plan. The absence of a citation does not mean the site was safe; inspectors don’t see every job.
Who investigates a scaffold fall or crane injury on a Redmond site?
Oregon OSHA investigates serious injuries and fatalities, and the contractor’s insurer investigates immediately in its own interest. Neither works for you. We send preservation demands for the scaffold, the equipment, daily logs and site photos, interview co-workers before they are moved to other jobs and retain a construction safety expert when needed. Cases from Redmond sites are filed in Deschutes County Circuit Court in Bend.
What if I was partly to blame for my construction site injury?
You can still recover. Oregon’s modified comparative fault rule (ORS 31.600) reduces damages by your share of fault and bars recovery only above 50 percent. Under the Employer Liability Law the responsible party is held to a high standard, which limits how much blame shifts to a worker doing the job as directed. Call 541-948-8830 to go through what happened.