Newport Beach Construction Accident Lawyer
Construction sites aren’t just noisy and chaotic; they’re dangerous. In Newport Beach, the same workers who build homes, high-rises, and commercial centers often get caught in unsafe conditions. When scaffolding gives way, heavy equipment malfunctions, or safety shortcuts lead to disaster, it’s usually the people on the ground who suffer the most, and workers and their families are left to deal with the fallout.
Bentley & More LLP takes these cases seriously. Every Newport Beach construction accident attorney at our firm works hard to hold the right people accountable. Whether a general contractor cut corners, or a third-party vendor created a hazard, our legal team digs deep to find the truth and pursue compensation that actually helps rebuild a life, not just cover some bills.
Construction Injuries Don’t Just “Happen”
Some folks try to chalk up these events to bad luck or “just part of the job.” That’s nonsense. Construction sites come with risks, but that doesn’t excuse broken safety rules, bad training, or faulty equipment. When a backhoe driver hits a worker because of poor communication, or when someone falls through an unmarked hole in the floor, it isn’t random; it’s preventable.
A Newport Beach construction accident lawyer from Bentley & More LLP helps determine exactly what happened. We’ve worked on cases involving:
- Crane and scaffolding failures that result in serious falls.
- Trench collapses that trap workers below ground.
- Burns and toxic exposure from poor chemical handling.
- Injuries caused by falling objects on job sites.
These aren’t just paperwork cases. They involve real people—electricians who can’t return to work, plumbers with spinal damage, or roofers trying to recover from brain injuries. We represent the injured, not the insurance companies trying to dodge responsibility.
Who’s Liable for Construction Accidents?
Construction sites often involve a tangled web of companies and contractors. It’s not always the worker’s direct employer who drops the ball. In fact, many of our clients come to us unsure of who to blame or thinking they have no options beyond workers’ compensation.
That’s not always true.
A Newport Beach construction accident attorney will review contracts, job-site logs, and safety records to identify who created the hazard or failed to fix it. Third parties such as property owners, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, or general contractors often share blame. When they do, they may be taken to court separately from your workers’ comp claim.
Some of our clients receive both workers’ comp and a settlement or court award from a lawsuit. For example, if a power tool explodes due to a manufacturer’s defect, you may sue that company directly. If a delivery truck crashes into a job site and injures someone, that company may be responsible. These legal options aren’t always obvious until a thorough investigation happens, and that’s where we come in.
Construction Work in Newport Beach Comes with Real Hazards
Newport Beach might look like a place where surfboards outnumber hard hats, but drive around and you’ll see plenty of construction zones. New homes, ocean-view condos, commercial remodels, and public infrastructure projects all require labor, and that labor doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) tracks safety violations across the state. Year after year, construction leads the way in serious job-site injuries. Falls, electrocution, heavy equipment failures, and exposure to hazardous materials rank among the biggest threats. Sadly, many of the most serious injuries and deaths involve basic safety rules that were ignored.
When a Newport Beach construction accident lawyer steps in, the investigation often shows that someone didn’t follow those basic rules—whether it was failing to secure a load, ignoring protective gear requirements, or sending someone to work without proper training. These lapses may mean the difference between walking off the job and getting carted away in an ambulance.
Real Compensation Means More than Hospital Bills
Insurance companies don’t hand out checks out of generosity. They rely on the injured worker being too stressed or confused to fight back. They might offer a tiny payout early on, hoping you’ll sign away your right to sue. Or they might claim you’re exaggerating your injuries. Sometimes they even try to blame the worker, suggesting they ignored protocol.
That’s where hiring a Newport Beach construction accident attorney changes the game.
When Bentley & More LLP takes a case, we build a complete picture—not just what happened, but how it’s affecting your day-to-day life. That includes:
- Medical expenses from the hospital stay, surgeries, or therapy.
- Lost income from missed work or inability to return to your trade.
- Pain, emotional stress, and loss of enjoyment in life.
- Long-term care needs or assistive equipment.
- Permanent disability that affects your future.
And in the worst cases, when someone dies on the job, we represent families in wrongful death suits. These claims help surviving spouses and children get financial support, hold companies accountable, and create change that might stop another worker from dying under the same conditions.
Common Ways Construction Companies Drop the Ball
Some safety lapses stand out more than others. If you’ve worked construction long enough, you’ve probably seen a few of these red flags:
- Lack of fall protection on upper-level jobs.
- Workers operating equipment without certification.
- Faulty ladders or scaffolding missing support braces.
- Confusing or missing signs around active danger zones.
- Rushed projects where workers are told to “just get it done.”
All of these set the stage for someone to get seriously hurt. Employers are supposed to follow the Cal/OSHA construction safety orders and national standards like those from OSHA’s construction industry regulations. But that doesn’t mean they always do.
One misstep—a missed inspection, a broken harness, a blind spot in a busy work zone—can change a life forever. And no one should have to pay the price for someone else’s corner-cutting.
Insurance Companies Undermine Construction Injury Claims
Once an injury report gets filed, the clock starts ticking—but not in your favor. Insurance companies often reach out quickly. Their adjusters may act friendly, asking you to “just give a quick statement” or “sign a few forms to get started.” Don’t fall for it. That’s part of their playbook.
A Newport Beach construction accident attorney from Bentley & More LLP won’t let them twist your words or use partial records to lowball a payout. We’ve seen these tactics before. Sometimes they delay processing claims, hoping you’ll take whatever they offer just to get by. Other times, they cherry-pick medical records to argue that your injury isn’t “that bad.”
You don’t have to deal with these games on your own. Our firm steps in to speak directly with the insurers, build a strong claim with real evidence, and make it clear that shortcuts won’t fly. And if the insurance company refuses to settle fairly, we take the case to court.
What Families Need to Know After a Fatal Construction Accident
Some calls hit harder than others. A foreman tells you there’s been an accident. A coworker arrives with a hard look on his face. Suddenly, everything changes.
Families in Newport Beach have come to Bentley & More LLP after fatal construction injuries left them stunned, grieving, and unsure of what steps to take next. These aren’t just legal cases. They’re about making sure a lost loved one’s contributions—both financial and personal—don’t get swept under the rug.
Our wrongful death cases often involve:
- A spouse or parent who was the primary income earner.
- Children who depended on that worker for support.
- A family member died because someone else ignored safety protocol.
A Newport Beach construction accident lawyer may file a wrongful death claim on your behalf, seeking compensation for lost future income, funeral costs, emotional loss, and more. Families also may file a survival action, which allows recovery for pain and suffering the deceased experienced before death.
These are hard conversations, but we handle them with care. And we don’t let corporations dodge responsibility with hollow statements and empty gestures.
What Makes Construction Accident Cases Different?
Most personal injury claims involve a single person or company at fault. Construction injury cases, however, often involve layers—multiple contractors, city permits, architects, subcontractors, and more. Each party may try to pass the blame or argue that they didn’t owe a duty of care.
That’s why working with a Newport Beach construction accident lawyer who understands how construction zones operate makes a real difference.
We look at blueprints, daily logs, safety training records, text messages, job contracts, and video footage to connect the dots. In many cases, we find that someone ignored a clear rule, like failing to shore up a trench or removing safety rails for convenience.
The legal process may involve dealing with both workers’ compensation through the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) and a separate civil suit for negligence. These paths work differently but often run side-by-side. We guide clients through both and explain how one affects the other.
When OSHA Investigates, It Doesn’t Always Lead to Justice
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may step in after a serious injury or fatality on a construction site. They’ll conduct interviews, inspect equipment, and issue citations or fines if they find violations. But that investigation, while helpful, won’t get you paid.
OSHA’s job is to punish unsafe behavior, not to help individual victims recover damages. That’s where a Newport Beach construction accident attorney comes in. We don’t wait for government agencies to finish their paperwork before we take action. Instead, we do our own digging, collect witness statements, hire experts if needed, and build a timeline showing exactly how the accident happened.
If OSHA’s report backs up our findings, all the better. But we don’t rely on someone else to prove our case.
Time Isn’t on Your Side
The longer you wait to call a lawyer, the harder it becomes to collect evidence. Witnesses leave the job site. Records disappear. Video footage gets overwritten. Even your own memory fades.
You generally have two years to file a lawsuit, but if a government entity is involved, that window may shrink to just six months. That’s not much time when you’re recovering or helping a loved one heal.
Our Approach: Direct, Thorough, Relentless
Bentley & More LLP doesn’t take every case that walks through the door. But when we commit to a construction injury case, we go all in.
That means:
- We meet you where you are—at home, in the hospital, or by phone.
- We investigate every possible angle to find liability.
- We push back hard when insurers try to dodge responsibility.
Other firms might assign your case to an assistant or paralegal. We don’t work that way. A Newport Beach construction accident attorney will stay involved from start to finish, keeping you updated without burying you in jargon.
And when we negotiate? We don’t just accept whatever settlement gets tossed across the table. If the other side refuses to take responsibility, we move forward with litigation and prepare for trial.
Construction Injury Lawsuits vs. Workers’ Comp Claims
Workers’ compensation covers injuries that happen on the job, no matter who’s at fault. But that system comes with limits. You can’t sue your employer if you’re collecting workers’ comp, and the benefits don’t include pain and suffering. They mostly cover medical care and part of your lost wages.
That’s why a Newport Beach construction accident attorney looks beyond workers’ comp. Many construction injuries involve third-party negligence—someone other than your employer who created a dangerous situation.
In these cases, you’re allowed to file a personal injury lawsuit. That type of case opens the door to full compensation, not just for what’s already happened, but for how your injury will affect your life moving forward.
Why Newport Beach Workers Choose Bentley & More LLP
Greg Bentley, Newport Beach Construction Accident Lawyer
Construction workers know when someone’s cutting corners. They see it in the rushed framing, the overloaded scaffolds, and the short-staffed crews, who are told to keep pushing no matter what. So when something goes wrong, they want a law firm that doesn’t cut corners either.
Bentley & More LLP brings the same grit, toughness, and attention to detail that workers put into every project. When a Newport Beach personal injury attorney from our team takes on a case, we don’t just shuffle papers. We find the missing video. We interview the subcontractor. We build a timeline that proves what really happened.
You’ve already done the hard part by surviving the injury. Now let us step up and fight for what you’re owed. Call (949) 832-7646 or contact us online.
Bentley & More, LLP – Newport Beach Office
4931 Birch Street
Newport Beach, CA 92660
P: (949) 870-3800