Holding Negligent Companies Accountable for Job Site Injuries
Any resident knows that New Orleans is a city that’s constantly evolving. Cranes line the skyline downtown, crews are frequently restoring historic properties in the French Quarter and Garden District, and infrastructure projects stretch along the I-10 corridor and riverfront. All of that activity means more workers on scaffolding, more heavy equipment moving through tight urban lots, and more opportunities for a job site to become dangerous when safety rules are ignored.
After a construction site injury, the physical recovery is only part of what a worker faces. Medical bills pile up quickly right as wages stop coming in, and the path to compensation is often more complicated than people expect. Workers' compensation may cover part of a worker’s lost wages and their immediate medical expenses, but it rarely covers everything, and it does not account for any emotional pain and suffering.
At Frischhertz & Impastato, our New Orleans construction accident attorneys look beyond workers' compensation, identifying every party whose negligence contributed to the accident. A general contractor, subcontractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer can often be held liable in ways an employer cannot. We know how to navigate these cases, and we are prepared to fight tirelessly for the full recovery you deserve.
Call (504) 276-6962 to talk through what happened and what your options look like. Your initial consultation is free, and there are no fees unless we win.
Common Causes of Construction Accidents on New Orleans Job Sites
Construction sites carry risk by nature, but most serious accidents trace back to a hazard that should have been controlled. Falls, being struck by an object, electrocution, and getting caught in or between equipment are so consistent across the industry that OSHA refers to them as the "Fatal Four." Falls alone remain the single leading cause of death on job sites, accounting for 389 of the 1,034 construction fatalities OSHA and BLS recorded in 2024.
In New Orleans, we regularly see construction site hazards show up as:
Falls from scaffolding, roofs, ladders, or unguarded floor openings
Workers struck by falling tools, materials, or improperly secured loads
Electrocutions from exposed wiring or contact with overhead power lines
Trench and excavation collapses that trap or crush workers
Crane tip-overs, rigging failures, and dropped loads
Forklift and heavy equipment accidents on crowded sites
Scaffolding collapses caused by improper assembly or overloading
One of the most misunderstood parts of a construction accident claim is that workers' compensation is not the end of the road. For qualifying workers, these benefits are available regardless of fault, but they are limited. Typically, they cover “necessary and reasonable” medical expenses and a portion of the worker’s lost wages, but not all, and they do not include any compensation for pain and suffering. Additionally, Louisiana law generally bars an injured employee from suing their employer directly in exchange for workers’ compensation eligibility.
What workers’ comp does not prevent, however, is a claim against a third party when that party’s negligence played a role in the accident.
Depending on how the site was run, liability may fall on:
The general contractor overseeing site safety
A subcontractor whose crew created the hazard
The property or site owner
An equipment or tool manufacturer, if a defective product caused the injury
An architect or engineer whose design or oversight fell short
A crane operator, rigging company, or other outside contractor
Identifying every liable party takes a careful look at contracts, safety logs, incident reports, and OSHA citations. Our attorneys handle that work as a team rather than assigning one person to sort through it alone, which means more eyes on the details that often decide a case.
Construction Injuries We See Most Often
Construction accidents tend to produce injuries that are more severe than the average workplace incident, largely because they involve heights, heavy machinery, and high-energy impacts.
Clients frequently come to our New Orleans construction accident lawyers with:
Crush injuries and amputations involving machinery or collapsed structures
Severe burns from electrocution or equipment fires
Multiple fractures and orthopedic injuries requiring surgery
Wrongful death, in cases where a job site accident proves fatal
Injuries at this level often mean permanent changes to how a person works and lives, and the compensation at stake needs to reflect that long-term reality, not just the initial medical bill.
A Team Built to Handle Complex Construction Claims
Construction accident cases tend to involve multiple companies, layered contracts, and competing insurance carriers, which makes them harder to untangle than a typical injury claim. Our attorneys bring a combined 85+ years of experience to that work, and we have recovered more than $700 million for injured clients over the years. Several of our eight attorneys have been recognized by organizations including Super Lawyers, Lead Counsel, and Martindale® for their work in personal injury law.
We take construction cases on a contingency fee basis, so a client owes us nothing unless we recover compensation on their behalf. We also prepare every case as though it may go to trial. Insurance companies and contractors tend to take a claim more seriously when they know the attorneys on the other side are ready to argue it in front of a jury, not just settle for the first offer.
Louisiana's Construction Industry Carries Serious Risk
The dangers construction workers face in Louisiana are not just anecdotal. In 2024, Louisiana recorded 96 fatal occupational injuries statewide, and construction accounted for 19 of those deaths, the second-highest total of any industry in the state, behind only transportation and warehousing. Louisiana's overall workplace fatality rate also runs well above the national average, a pattern that has held for years across the state's industrial and construction sectors. Those numbers reflect what we see in practice: New Orleans job sites are active, fast-moving, and unforgiving when corners are cut and safety standards slip.
How Louisiana Law Shapes Your Claim
Two relatively recent changes in Louisiana law directly affect how a construction accident claim gets handled, and both make timing and evidence more important than ever.
As of January 1, 2026, Louisiana follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 51% bar. Under the previous pure comparative negligence standard, an injured worker could recover a reduced award no matter how much fault they carried, as long as another party shared some of the blame. Now, a worker found more than 50% at fault for their own accident cannot recover any compensation at all. That change makes it critical to build a clear record of how the accident happened and who was responsible before an insurance company has the chance to shift blame onto the injured worker.
Louisiana also shortened its deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. For injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, the prescriptive period is two years from the date of the accident. Injuries that occurred before that date are still governed by the prior one-year deadline, which has already passed for most older claims. Because these rules can vary based on the exact date and circumstances of an accident, we recommend having a construction accident attorney in New Orleans review the specifics of a claim as soon as possible rather than assuming a deadline based on general information.
Discuss Your Construction Accident Claim With Us Today
A serious job site injury can upend a family's finances and future in a matter of seconds, and the pressure to accept a quick settlement often shows up before anyone has a full picture of what the injury actually costs long-term. We built our practice around taking that pressure off our clients and putting it back on the parties responsible.
If you were hurt on a construction site in New Orleans or anywhere in Louisiana, Frischhertz & Impastato is available to review what happened and explain your options at no upfront cost.
Call (504) 276-6962for a free consultation with our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in many cases. Workers' compensation and a third-party liability claim are separate legal paths. Workers’ comp benefits come from an employer regardless of fault, while a third-party claim targets a different responsible party, such as a general contractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer.
Louisiana's modified comparative negligence rule allows a partly at-fault worker to still recover compensation, as long as they are not found more than 50% responsible for the accident. Fault percentages are often disputed, which is why documentation and witness accounts matter early on.
For accidents occurring on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana law generally allows two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. Some circumstances can affect this deadline, so it is worth having a case reviewed promptly rather than waiting.
An employer's insurance carrier represents the employer's interests, not yours. If a third party contributed to the accident, or if the comp settlement doesn't come close to covering your losses, an attorney can evaluate whether additional compensation is available.
A compilation of the Frischhertz & Impastato attorneys and staff at work and interacting with clients.
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