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Construction work in Valley View and the surrounding Denton County area keeps North Texas growing. New roads, residential developments, and commercial builds line the corridors near I-35 and US-377, bringing thousands of workers to job sites every day. When something goes wrong on one of those sites, the injuries are often severe, and the legal questions that follow are complicated. If you or a family member was hurt on a construction site in or around Valley View, Texas, you deserve honest answers and real legal help. The personal injury lawyers at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys in Denton are ready to hear your story and help you understand your options.
Table of Contents
- Why Construction Accidents in Valley View Are So Dangerous
- Who Can Be Held Legally Responsible After a Valley View Construction Accident
- How Texas Workers’ Compensation Law Affects Your Construction Injury Claim
- OSHA Standards That Apply to Valley View Construction Sites
- What Compensation You Can Recover After a Valley View Construction Accident
- Why Valley View Workers Choose Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys
- FAQs About Valley View Construction Accident Lawyers
Why Construction Accidents in Valley View Are So Dangerous
Construction is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 5,070 fatal work injuries across the country in 2024. Of those deaths, nearly 20% occurred in construction, second only to transportation and materials handling. Those numbers reflect real people, real families, and real communities like Valley View.
OSHA refers to the four leading causes of construction fatalities as the “Fatal Four.” They are falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between accidents. Falls, slips, and trips remain the leading cause of fatalities, accounting for 38.4% of all construction deaths. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), from 2011 to 2021, struck-by injuries accounted for approximately 17% of fatal injuries in construction.
Valley View sits along the I-35 corridor in Denton County, a stretch that has seen heavy infrastructure and residential development in recent years. Job sites near the Denton County courthouse area and along the US-377 and FM 922 corridors put workers in close contact with heavy equipment, open trenches, elevated scaffolding, and exposed electrical systems every single day. The risk is real, and when safety shortcuts are taken, the consequences can be catastrophic.
Under 29 CFR Part 1926, OSHA’s construction safety standards, employers must provide fall protection at heights of six feet or more. Workers installing floor joists, erecting exterior walls, or working near leading edges must have proper fall protection systems in place. When employers ignore these requirements, they put workers in danger and expose themselves to serious legal liability.
Who Can Be Held Legally Responsible After a Valley View Construction Accident
Liability in a construction accident does not always fall on just one party. Multiple companies often share responsibility for what happens on a job site, and identifying all of them is one of the most important steps in building a strong claim.
General contractors bear responsibility for the overall safety of a construction site. Subcontractors who directly employ injured workers may also face liability if they created or ignored a dangerous condition. Property owners can be held accountable when a hazardous condition on their land contributed to the accident. Equipment manufacturers may face a product liability claim if a defective tool or machine caused the injury.
Third-party liability claims are especially important in construction cases. Even if your direct employer has workers’ compensation coverage, you may still have the right to sue a third party whose negligence contributed to your injury. For example, if a crane operator from a separate subcontractor dropped a load that struck you, that subcontractor could be named in a lawsuit even if your own employer was not directly at fault. This is a separate claim from any workers’ compensation benefits you might receive, and it can result in significantly higher compensation.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33 governs how fault is divided among multiple parties in a Texas civil lawsuit. Each party’s percentage of responsibility is weighed, and damages are assigned accordingly. Identifying every responsible party is critical, and that requires a thorough investigation of the accident scene, contracts between the parties, and OSHA records. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys takes that investigation seriously.
How Texas Workers’ Compensation Law Affects Your Construction Injury Claim
Texas handles workers’ compensation differently from every other state in the country. In Texas, private employers can choose whether to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage, and employers that choose not to provide it are known as non-subscribers. This distinction has a direct impact on your legal rights after a construction accident.
When your employer carries workers’ compensation insurance, you generally must file a workers’ comp claim rather than a direct lawsuit against your employer. Except when gross negligence results in a fatality, coverage limits liability if an employee sues the business for damages. That means your compensation through the workers’ comp system may be limited to medical benefits and a portion of lost wages.
When your employer is a non-subscriber, the rules change significantly in your favor. Under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act, nonsubscribing employers forfeit several common-law defenses, including contributory negligence, assumption of the risk, and the negligence of fellow employees. The exclusive remedy provision of the Act, which shields subscribing employers from civil lawsuits by injured employees, does not apply to nonsubscribers.
That means if your employer is a non-subscriber and their negligence caused your injury, you can file a direct civil lawsuit against them. You can pursue full compensation for medical expenses, all lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages that workers’ comp would never cover. Non-subscriber employers must notify their workers by posting a notice of no coverage in the workplace in English, Spanish, and any other language as needed. If you never saw that notice, that fact may itself be relevant to your case.
Not sure whether your employer is a subscriber or non-subscriber? The Texas Department of Insurance maintains records through the Division of Workers’ Compensation. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys can help you find out quickly.
OSHA Standards That Apply to Valley View Construction Sites
OSHA sets the federal baseline for construction site safety across the country, and those standards apply directly to job sites in Valley View and throughout Denton County. Violations of these standards are strong evidence of employer negligence in a personal injury claim.
The most frequently cited OSHA construction standard in fiscal year 2024 was Fall Protection under 29 CFR 1926.501, followed by Ladders under 29 CFR 1926.1053, Fall Protection Training under 29 CFR 1926.503, and Scaffolding under 29 CFR 1926.451. These are the areas where employers most often cut corners, and they are also the areas where the most serious injuries occur.
Under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M, employers must provide fall protection systems for any worker at a height of six feet or more above a lower level. This includes guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems. During exterior wall construction, OSHA requires that a painted line be clearly marked six feet from the perimeter to warn workers of approaching unprotected edges. These are not optional guidelines. They are legal requirements.
When an employer violates an OSHA standard and a worker is injured as a result, that violation can serve as direct evidence of negligence in a Texas civil lawsuit. OSHA inspection records, citations, and penalty documents are discoverable in litigation, and they can be powerful tools in building your case. Federal OSHA has approximately 1,850 inspectors responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers at more than 8 million worksites, meaning many violations go uninspected until an injury forces the issue. That is why having an attorney who knows how to obtain and use OSHA records matters.
If you were injured on a construction site near Valley View, along Farm-to-Market roads in northern Denton County, or anywhere else in the area, ask yourself whether your employer followed these standards. If the answer is no, that failure may form the foundation of your legal claim.
What Compensation You Can Recover After a Valley View Construction Accident
The value of a construction accident claim depends on the severity of the injury, who was at fault, and whether your employer was a workers’ comp subscriber or non-subscriber. Texas law allows injured workers to pursue several categories of compensation in a civil lawsuit.
Economic damages cover the financial losses caused by the accident. These include past and future medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages from time missed at work, and reduced earning capacity if the injury prevents you from returning to your previous job. On a serious construction site, injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crush injuries, and severe burns can generate medical bills that reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Those costs should not fall on you.
Non-economic damages cover the human cost of the injury. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life are all recoverable in a Texas personal injury lawsuit. These damages are not capped in most construction accident cases, and they can represent a significant portion of the total recovery.
In cases involving gross negligence, Texas law also allows for exemplary damages, which are designed to punish the wrongdoer and deter future misconduct. If an employer knowingly ignored a life-threatening hazard and someone died as a result, exemplary damages may be available even if the employer carried workers’ compensation insurance.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, the general statute of limitations for a personal injury or wrongful death claim is two years from the date the cause of action accrues. In most construction accident cases, that clock starts on the day of the accident. Missing that deadline can permanently bar your right to recover. Do not wait. Call Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 as soon as possible after your accident.
Why Valley View Workers Choose Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys
Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys is based in Denton, Texas, right in the heart of Denton County. The firm serves clients throughout the county, including Valley View, Sanger, Pilot Point, and communities along the I-35 corridor. When you call, you speak with people who know this area, know the local courts, and understand how construction accident cases play out in North Texas.
Construction accident cases require fast action. Evidence disappears. Equipment gets repaired or replaced. Witnesses move on to other job sites. The attorneys at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys move quickly to preserve evidence, obtain OSHA records, and identify every party whose negligence contributed to your injury. That thoroughness makes a difference in the outcome of your case.
The firm handles cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney’s fees unless a recovery is made on your behalf. There is no upfront cost to speak with an attorney, and there is no financial risk in getting the legal advice you need. Whether your injury involved a fall from scaffolding, a struck-by incident near the Denton County courthouse area, a trench collapse, or a defective piece of equipment, the team at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys is prepared to evaluate your case honestly and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Construction accidents can also give rise to related claims, including premises liability against a property owner, wrongful death if a loved one was killed on the job, or catastrophic injury claims when the harm is permanent and life-altering. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys handles all of these claim types and will make sure every avenue of recovery is explored on your behalf.
Call (940) 800-2500 today for a free consultation. You have rights, and you have options. Let Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys help you use them.
FAQs About Valley View Construction Accident Lawyers
Can I sue my employer directly if I was hurt on a construction site in Valley View?
It depends on whether your employer carries Texas workers’ compensation insurance. If your employer is a “non-subscriber,” meaning they opted out of the state workers’ comp system, you have the right to file a direct negligence lawsuit against them. Non-subscribing employers also lose key legal defenses, such as the ability to argue that you assumed the risk of your job or that a coworker’s negligence caused the accident. If your employer does carry workers’ comp coverage, your options against your employer are more limited, but you may still have a third-party claim against other companies or individuals whose negligence contributed to your injury.
What is the deadline to file a construction accident lawsuit in Texas?
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. If a worker was killed in a construction accident, the surviving family members also have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim. Missing this deadline almost always means losing your right to sue entirely. Because evidence can disappear quickly on a construction site, it is best to contact an attorney as soon as possible after the accident, not just before the deadline approaches.
What if multiple companies were working on the same Valley View construction site?
Multiple parties can share liability for a construction accident. General contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, and property owners may all bear some responsibility depending on the facts of the case. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33 allows a jury to assign a percentage of fault to each responsible party. An attorney can investigate the contracts, safety plans, and relationships between all the companies on the site to identify every party whose negligence contributed to your injury. Pursuing all responsible parties typically leads to greater compensation than pursuing only one.
What kinds of damages can I recover after a construction accident in Valley View?
In a Texas construction accident lawsuit, you can recover economic damages, which include past and future medical bills, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity. You can also recover non-economic damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving gross negligence, exemplary damages may also be available. If your employer is a non-subscriber, you are not limited by the caps that apply to workers’ compensation benefits, which means your total recovery can be significantly higher than what the workers’ comp system would provide.
What should I do immediately after a construction accident in Valley View?
Get medical treatment right away, even if you think your injuries are minor. Some serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and internal damage, may not show obvious symptoms immediately. Report the accident to your supervisor in writing and keep a copy of that report. If you are physically able, photograph the scene, the hazard that caused your injury, and any equipment involved. Collect contact information from coworkers who witnessed the accident. Then contact an attorney as quickly as possible. Evidence on construction sites can be altered or removed fast, and an attorney can take steps to preserve it before it disappears.
Content prepared by Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, whose principal office is located in Denton, Texas. The attorneys at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys are licensed to practice law in Texas. Past case outcomes described in any firm materials do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future matter, as each case depends on its own unique facts and applicable law.