Workers’ Compensation protects employers from lawsuits by injured workers, but it does not protect third parties from personal injury lawsuits. If someone other than your employer or a co-worker, (for example - a general or sub-contractor), was negligent and caused your injury, you may be able to file a lawsuit against them, in addition to receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits from your employer.
One common type of third party lawsuit we see is when a construction worker gets injured due to the negligence of an employee of a sub-contractor. Some common types of cases we see is when someone leaves an object or slippery substance on the floor, which causes someone to slip and fall and sustain a serious injury. Again, the negligence cannot be from a co-worker, because if so you would only be able to collect workers compensation benefits.
If your injury was caused by a defective piece of equipment, you may be able to file a defective product lawsuit against the manufacturer. Additionally, you could also be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Benefits if your construction accident injury is expected to keep you disabled and out of work for at least a year.