If you were injured while working on a Cherry Hill NJ project, save the exact job address, the work you were performing, and the names of the companies supervising it. A project may have several permits, trades, and phases of work. The task underway when you were hurt—and who directed it—can matter more than the name displayed at the entrance.
Fulginiti Law helps injured workers evaluate construction claims involving Cherry Hill projects. Cherry Hill Township’s Construction Department provides local permit and inspection resources, while the township’s Police Records Office handles available police reports when officers documented an incident. These are distinct records channels. The guidance below explains how to assemble that project history, identify the contractors connected to the particular work, and assess a possible third-party claim alongside New Jersey workers’ compensation.
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215-774-5162How New Jersey Construction-Injury Claims Work
An injured construction worker may have rights under two separate legal systems: workers’ compensation and a civil claim against a third party.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
New Jersey workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system. For a covered work injury, it may provide authorized medical treatment, temporary wage-replacement benefits, permanent-disability compensation, and death benefits for qualifying dependents. A worker ordinarily does not need to prove that the employer was negligent.
In exchange, workers’ compensation is usually the employee’s remedy against the direct employer. It generally does not provide damages for pain and suffering, and New Jersey recognizes only narrow exceptions to the restriction on suing an employer directly. The New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation provides an official overview of these benefits and restrictions.
Claims Against Other Companies
Receiving workers’ compensation does not necessarily prevent an injured worker from pursuing a separate claim against another person or company whose conduct contributed to the accident. The New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Law expressly addresses claims against liable third parties.
A third-party claim may address losses that workers’ compensation does not fully cover, including pain and suffering, reduced future earning capacity, and the broader effects of a permanent injury. Because the workers’ compensation carrier may have reimbursement rights involving a third-party recovery, the two claims must be coordinated carefully.
Who May Be Responsible for a Construction Accident?
No person or business is automatically liable simply because it participated in the project. Responsibility depends on what each party did, what it controlled, what its contracts required, and whether its conduct contributed to the accident.
Depending on the circumstances, potentially responsible parties may include:
- A general contractor or construction manager that directed relevant work, coordinated trades, controlled access, or assumed responsibility for a safety condition.
- A subcontractor whose employees, equipment, materials, or work practices created the hazard.
- A property owner, developer, or property manager that retained control over relevant work or was responsible for a dangerous property condition.
- An equipment manufacturer, seller, rental company, or maintenance provider when a defect, inadequate warning, improper repair, or mechanical failure contributed to the injury.
- A delivery company or material supplier whose driver, vehicle, load, or unloading operation caused the accident.
For example, a worker injured in a ladder fall may have been employed by one subcontractor while another company supplied the ladder, chose where it would be placed, or controlled the work area. The central question is not simply who employed the injured person. It is which companies controlled the work, property, equipment, safety decisions, or dangerous condition connected to the accident.
What to Do After a Construction Accident
Take the steps reasonably available to you without delaying emergency care, entering a dangerous area, or interfering with an investigation.
- Get appropriate medical attention. Tell the medical provider that the injury happened at work, explain how it occurred, and identify every affected part of your body. Follow professional treatment instructions and work restrictions.
- Report the injury promptly. Notify your employer, supervisor, foreperson, or another person in authority as soon as possible. When practical, make the report in writing and keep a copy. Include the date, location, task, basic circumstances, and symptoms you experienced.
- Write down what you remember. Record the companies present, work being performed, equipment involved, instructions you received, and names of witnesses. Temporary structures may be removed and contractors may leave the project quickly.
- Preserve what you already have. Save photographs, videos, messages, work schedules, pay records, accident paperwork, and damaged personal protective equipment that belongs to you. Do not alter machinery, take another company’s property, or return to a restricted site.
- Be accurate in insurance communications. Provide truthful information, but do not guess about fault or facts you did not observe. Consider obtaining advice before signing a release, settlement, broad medical authorization, or statement prepared for another company’s insurer.
- Investigate third-party responsibility early. An employer’s accident report may not identify every business involved. Early legal investigation can help preserve video, equipment, electronic communications, contracts, and witness information.
The New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation advises injured employees to notify their employer promptly and request necessary medical treatment. The employer or workers’ compensation carrier generally selects the authorized treating provider, subject to issues such as emergency care or an improper refusal to provide treatment.
Accidents and Injuries That May Require Investigation
Construction claims can arise from falls, collapsing structures, falling materials, electrical hazards, unsafe access routes, vehicle movements, and failures involving tools or heavy equipment. Fulginiti Law provides additional information about scaffolding accidents, crane accidents, forklift accidents, and electrical accidents.
These events may cause fractures, crush injuries, burns, amputations, internal injuries, brain injuries, spinal injuries, scarring, or lasting physical limitations. The seriousness of the injury does not by itself prove negligence. The investigation must determine why the event occurred and how each party’s conduct was connected to the harm.
Evidence That May Matter
For a Cherry Hill project, keep the accident’s date and task alongside the permit or inspection information. A permit issued for one trade or stage of work may not describe the operation underway when you were injured. Tell your lawyer who gave instructions, which company’s equipment was being used, and whether another crew had changed the work area. Township records can help establish a timeline, while witness accounts and contracts may explain actual responsibilities. You do not need to enter the site or obtain contractor files yourself. Useful immediate information includes:
- Photographs or videos of the work area, condition, equipment, and visible injuries
- The incident report and names or contact information for witnesses
- Medical paperwork, work restrictions, and authorized-treatment information
- Pay records and documents showing missed work or lost benefits
- Messages or communications involving supervisors, contractors, or insurers
A legal investigation may seek contracts, daily reports, surveillance footage, equipment records, maintenance documents, and information identifying the companies on the project. An OSHA citation or other government finding may be relevant, but it does not automatically establish civil liability.
Compensation and Benefits That May Be Available
Workers’ compensation benefits may include authorized medical care, temporary wage replacement, compensation for permanent partial or total disability, and death benefits for qualifying dependents.
A successful third-party claim may include compensation for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost income and reduced earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life
- Disability, scarring, or disfigurement
- Rehabilitation, assistance, and future care
- Losses experienced by qualifying family members
- Wrongful-death and related losses after a fatal accident
Not every category applies to every case. The evaluation should consider the person’s diagnosis, treatment, work history, future needs, ability to return to construction work, and the evidence concerning responsibility.
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215-774-5162Important New Jersey Deadlines
A New Jersey personal-injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after the claim accrues under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. A formal workers’ compensation Claim Petition is generally subject to a two-year period measured from the accident or the last payment of compensation, whichever is later; authorized medical treatment may count as compensation.
An injured employee should report an accidental work injury as soon as possible and generally no later than 90 days after the accident. If a state agency, county, municipality, public authority, or public employee may be responsible, the New Jersey Tort Claims Act can impose a separate 90-day notice requirement. Exceptions and different accrual rules may apply, making prompt individualized review important.
A third-party civil case may proceed in the New Jersey Superior Court. The Camden Vicinage serves Camden County, but the proper court and venue depend on applicable rules, the parties, and the particular claims. An accident in Cherry Hill NJ does not automatically determine where every lawsuit will be filed.
Cherry Hill NJ Project and Incident Records
Cherry Hill Township’s Construction Department provides permit-status and inspection resources for local projects. If an investigation needs to identify a permit, contractor, or inspection record, start with the property address and approximate work dates. A municipal permit or completed inspection does not by itself establish who caused an injury.
If Cherry Hill Police documented an incident, involved persons can ask the Police Records Office about an available report at 856-488-7822. The office is on the first floor of the Municipal Building. Confirm the report’s availability and identification requirements before visiting; keep the incident number and date with your other records.
Helpful Government and Medical Resources
- The New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation injured-worker guide explains how to report an injury, request authorized treatment, and address a dispute over benefits.
- OSHA’s construction fall-prevention guidance explains planning, equipment, training, and fall-protection measures for work performed at height. OSHA information may help identify relevant safety issues, but an OSHA complaint or citation is not a substitute for a civil claim and does not conclusively establish liability.
- MedlinePlus traumatic brain injury guidance describes symptoms that can follow a head injury and explains why prompt professional evaluation can be important. Symptoms and recovery vary, and the resource does not replace medical advice.
- MedlinePlus spinal cord injury information provides an overview of spinal-cord damage, diagnosis, emergency treatment, rehabilitation, and assistive care.
How Fulginiti Law Handles Construction-Accident Cases
A construction injury investigation often must go beyond the employer’s workers’ compensation paperwork. Fulginiti Law can identify the owners, contractors, subcontractors, equipment companies, and insurers involved; examine who controlled the relevant work and safety decisions; seek preservation of equipment and project records; and consult qualified construction, engineering, medical, or financial professionals when appropriate.
The firm’s published construction case results include a reported $19.2 million recovery for a worker paralyzed after a crane dropped a steel beam and a $7 million recovery for a drywall finisher injured in a fall through an unguarded floor opening. Those examples illustrate the importance of investigating equipment operations, fall protection, and control of site conditions. Prior results do not guarantee an outcome in another matter.
Ken Fulginiti’s attorney profile identifies construction accidents as a primary focus of his catastrophic-injury practice and confirms that he is admitted in New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. His profile also reports OSHA 10 occupational and workplace safety training.
OSHA explains that its 10-hour Outreach Training Program provides basic hazard-awareness education and is not a certification or license. The training provides background for understanding hazards while qualified experts address technical questions specific to each case.
Ken’s profile reports recognition in The Best Lawyers in America from 2015 to the present for Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation in Philadelphia, a 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” designation in that category, a Martindale-Hubbell “AV” Preeminent rating, and inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers from 2005 to the present, including Top 100 listings in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia from 2018 to the present.
The profile also identifies his service as President of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association in 2022, co-chair of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice Presidents’ Council in 2022, and membership in organizations including the American Association for Justice, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, New Jersey State Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, and Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
His listed teaching and speaking work includes a 2019 program on establishing liability and damages in medical-malpractice, construction, and product cases, as well as presentations concerning catastrophic-injury damages, traumatic brain injuries, depositions, negotiations, trial preparation, and litigation strategy. His listed publications include “Construction Accidents and Handling the OSHA Investigation,” published by The Legal Intelligencer in August 2020, and “Construction Injury Litigation: Paving the Road Through Discovery,” published by The Legal Intelligencer on August 22, 2017.
Ken has also written about construction safety for industry audiences. His published work includes the 2026 Construction Dive article “Why High-Rise Construction Carries Higher Liability Risk” and a Construction Management Association of America article addressing why OSHA standards should be treated as a safety baseline rather than proof that every reasonable precaution was taken.
Other areas where we handle Construction Accident:
- Abington
- Bensalem
- Camden
- Cherry Hill
- Chester
- Coatesville
- Deptford
- Doylestown
- East Norriton
- Glassboro
- Gloucester
- Haverford
- King of Prussia
- Lansdale
- Levittown
- Lower Merion
- Media
- Middletown
- Mount Laurel
- Norristown
- Pennsauken
- Philadelphia
- Pottstown
- Upper Darby
- Voorhees
- West Chester
- Willingboro
Speak With a Cherry Hill NJ Construction Accident Lawyer
If you were injured on a construction project in Cherry Hill NJ or elsewhere in Camden County, Fulginiti Law can review what happened, explain how workers’ compensation relates to a possible third-party claim, and investigate which companies may be responsible.
Call 215-774-5162 or contact Fulginiti Law to request a free consultation. The firm handles construction-accident matters on a contingency-fee basis, subject to the terms of the written fee agreement. No result is guaranteed.
Cherry Hill NJ Construction Accident FAQs
These answers provide general information. The correct analysis may change based on the worker’s employment relationship, the companies involved, available evidence, and the deadlines governing the particular claim.
Do I have a legal claim if I was injured at a construction site in Cherry Hill NJ?
Possibly. A worker injured while performing construction work may have a workers’ compensation claim even without proving that the employer caused the accident. A separate civil claim may also exist if another contractor, property owner, equipment company, driver, or project participant acted negligently or supplied a defective product.
The fact that an accident occurred at a construction site does not automatically establish negligence. A meaningful evaluation requires information about the injured person’s employer, the work underway, the companies present, the equipment involved, and who controlled the condition that caused the injury.
Sources: New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation injured-worker protections; New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Law; Fulginiti Law construction-accident practice.
Can I receive New Jersey workers’ compensation and sue another company?
Yes, potentially. Workers’ compensation benefits do not automatically prevent an injured employee from pursuing a claim against a liable third party. The third party must be someone legally distinct from the worker’s employer or another person protected by the workers’ compensation exclusivity rule, subject to fact-specific employment issues.
The claims should be coordinated from the beginning. New Jersey law may give the employer or workers’ compensation carrier reimbursement or credit rights involving money recovered from a third party. Resolving one claim without considering the other can affect medical bills, benefit payments, liens, and the injured person’s net recovery.
Sources: New Jersey workers’ compensation FAQs for injured workers; New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Law, including N.J.S.A. 34:15-40.
Can I sue the general contractor or property owner after a construction accident?
Only if the evidence supports a claim against that party. A general contractor or property owner is not automatically responsible for every injury on a project. Liability may depend on control over the work, responsibility for the property or equipment, knowledge of a dangerous condition, contractual duties, and the connection between the party’s conduct and the accident.
The investigation should compare written contracts with actual jobsite practices. Witness accounts, daily reports, meeting notes, safety communications, photographs, and testimony may show who directed the work or had the ability to correct the hazard. OSHA responsibilities may be relevant, but an OSHA duty or citation does not by itself establish civil liability under New Jersey law.
Sources: OSHA Rules of Construction, 29 C.F.R. § 1926.16; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.10A—Negligence and Ordinary Care; New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Law.
What should I do immediately after a construction accident?
Get appropriate medical care and report the accident to your employer or supervisor as soon as possible. Explain how the injury happened, identify every affected body part, and request the medical treatment you need. If practical, keep a written copy of the accident report.
Save photographs, witness information, messages, and paperwork already in your possession. Do not return to a dangerous or restricted area to gather evidence. A blow to the head, worsening headache, repeated vomiting, weakness, confusion, speech changes, numbness, loss of sensation, or other concerning symptoms require prompt professional medical attention rather than self-diagnosis.
Sources: New Jersey injured-worker reporting and treatment guidance; MedlinePlus traumatic brain injury guidance; MedlinePlus spinal cord injury information.
Who chooses my doctor for a New Jersey construction injury?
The employer or its workers’ compensation carrier generally has the right to select the authorized medical provider for a covered work injury. Emergency treatment may be obtained when needed, and legal issues can arise if the employer or carrier refuses to provide necessary treatment.
Tell the employer about emergency care and provide accurate information about your symptoms and work restrictions. Before arranging substantial non-emergency treatment outside the authorized system, consider obtaining individualized advice. Whether outside treatment must be paid for can depend on the request made, the response received, and the urgency of the care.
Sources: New Jersey workers’ compensation FAQs for injured workers; New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation medical-benefit guidance.
What evidence is most important after a construction accident?
The most useful immediate evidence often includes photographs, witness names, the incident report, medical paperwork, work-status notes, and information identifying the contractors and equipment involved. Save relevant messages and pay records, but do not take property or alter machinery.
A lawyer may seek evidence that an injured person cannot obtain personally, such as contracts, surveillance recordings, project logs, inspection records, maintenance files, equipment data, and testimony from supervisors or other contractors. Federal health-privacy rules generally allow patients to request copies of covered medical and billing records. OSHA investigation materials may also provide useful information, although agency findings do not conclusively decide civil liability.
Sources: HHS guidance on access to medical and billing records; OSHA construction-incident engineering reports; OSHA investigation summaries.
What happens if someone says I caused my own construction accident?
An accusation of fault does not automatically end the claim. New Jersey workers’ compensation is generally no-fault, so ordinary carelessness usually does not determine whether a covered employee may receive statutory benefits. Different rules apply to a civil claim against another company.
New Jersey uses modified comparative negligence in negligence cases. A third-party recovery may be reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault and may be barred if that person’s negligence was greater than the negligence of the defendant or combined defendants from whom recovery is sought. The evidence should be reviewed before accepting a contractor’s allocation of fault.
Sources: New Jersey comparative-negligence statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 7.31—Comparative Negligence.
How long do I have to file a construction-accident claim in New Jersey?
A New Jersey personal-injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after the claim accrues. A formal workers’ compensation Claim Petition is also generally subject to a two-year period, commonly measured from the accident or the last payment of compensation. Authorized medical treatment may qualify as compensation for this purpose.
Separate notice rules can expire sooner. An accidental work injury generally should be reported within 90 days. A claim involving a public entity or public employee may require a Tort Claims Act notice within 90 days. Exceptions exist, but they should not be assumed to apply without reviewing the facts and responsible parties.
Sources: New Jersey personal-injury limitations statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; New Jersey workers’ compensation filing deadlines; New Jersey notice-of-tort-claim guidance.
What compensation may be available after a serious construction injury?
Available compensation depends on whether the matter involves workers’ compensation, a third-party claim, or both. Workers’ compensation may provide authorized medical treatment, temporary wage benefits, permanent-disability compensation, and death benefits for qualifying dependents.
A successful third-party case may address medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, future rehabilitation, and other proven losses. No universal settlement value exists. The outcome depends on responsibility, injury severity, medical evidence, future needs, insurance coverage, and the effect of the injury on the person’s work and daily life.
Sources: New Jersey injured-worker benefits overview; New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Law; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 8.11E—Disability, Pain, and Suffering.
What happens when I contact Fulginiti Law about a Cherry Hill NJ construction accident?
Contacting the firm begins an initial evaluation; it does not automatically mean that the firm has accepted the case or formed an attorney-client relationship. You may be asked about the accident date, employer, project location, companies present, medical treatment, work restrictions, and insurer communications. New Jersey RPC 1.18 generally restricts a lawyer from using or revealing information acquired during a consultation with a prospective client even if no attorney-client relationship follows.
If the firm and client agree to proceed, the scope of representation and fee terms should be confirmed in writing. New Jersey RPC 1.5 requires a contingent-fee agreement to be written and to explain how the fee and case expenses will be calculated. Until representation is expressly accepted, do not assume that the firm is monitoring a deadline on your behalf.
Sources: Fulginiti Law contact page; NJ Courts Rules of Professional Conduct, including RPC 1.5 and RPC 1.18; NJ Courts Article V: Lawyer-Client Privilege.
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