“Eman really knows his stuff and we were very pleased with our end result.”
Myretta & Thomas Knorr
✦ Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law — State Bar of California ✦
Construction is California’s most dangerous industry. When you’re injured, experience matters.
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law
Construction in Long Beach operates on a scale that dwarfs most other cities in Southern California. The Port of Long Beach is in a perpetual state of expansion and modernization, with multi-billion-dollar terminal projects, bridge replacements, and rail corridor upgrades employing thousands of construction workers at any given time. The oil refineries along the harbor require regular turnaround projects — massive scheduled maintenance shutdowns that bring hundreds of specialty contractors onto a single site for weeks of intensive demolition, repair, and rebuild work. Waterfront development from Shoreline Village to the Queen Mary continues to add hotels, commercial buildings, and mixed-use projects to the coastline. For the construction workers who build Long Beach, the combination of heavy equipment, elevated work, confined spaces, and hazardous materials creates a daily risk environment that demands an attorney who understands construction injury law inside and out.
California construction workers are entitled to full workers' compensation benefits under Labor Code section 3600 regardless of who was at fault for the accident. But construction injury claims in Long Beach are rarely simple because the multi-employer structure of the industry creates overlapping liability. A typical port terminal expansion project involves a general contractor, multiple subcontractors for structural steel, electrical, plumbing, concrete, and finish work, equipment rental companies, material suppliers, and the port authority itself. When a worker falls from a scaffold or is struck by a crane load, determining which employer's insurance covers the claim — and whether other parties bear third-party liability — requires an attorney who regularly handles construction cases.
Third-party claims are particularly important in Long Beach construction injuries because they provide compensation that workers' comp does not: pain and suffering, full lost wages rather than the two-thirds cap in workers' comp, and punitive damages in cases of egregious negligence. If a general contractor failed to maintain a safe site, if a crane rental company provided defective equipment, or if a refinery owner exposed your work crew to hazardous conditions without proper warning, a third-party lawsuit may be available alongside your workers' comp claim. Under Labor Code section 3852, workers' compensation benefits do not bar you from pursuing a civil action against a negligent third party. These dual-track cases require coordination to maximize your total recovery.
Our lead attorney, Eman Yazdchi, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law. He has handled construction injury claims originating from Long Beach's port facilities, refinery complexes, and commercial development sites, and he understands the multi-party dynamics that make these cases both challenging and valuable.
The Long Beach WCAB District Office handles the workers' compensation side of your claim locally. We appear at this board regularly and understand the case management approach specific to construction injury claims. For cases that also involve a third-party civil action, we coordinate both tracks to ensure that your recovery from one does not undermine the other. This coordination is critical because workers' comp liens must be properly addressed in any third-party settlement, and failing to manage them can cost you money.
We also work with Cal/OSHA to obtain inspection reports and citations related to the incident that caused your injury. A Cal/OSHA citation against your employer or the general contractor is powerful evidence that safety standards were violated, which strengthens both your workers' comp claim and any third-party civil case. Our firm moves aggressively to investigate the accident scene, preserve physical evidence, and interview witnesses before the jobsite conditions change.
Injured at work in Long Beach? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →Construction injuries require immediate investigation. When you contact our firm, we move quickly to document the accident scene, interview witnesses, and preserve evidence before the jobsite is altered. We file your workers' compensation claim at the Long Beach WCAB District Office and simultaneously evaluate whether a viable third-party negligence or product liability claim exists. On the workers' comp track, we pursue temporary disability, permanent disability, future medical treatment, and supplemental job displacement benefits. On the third-party track, if applicable, we pursue full damages including pain and suffering, lost future earnings, and medical expenses beyond what workers' comp provides. We coordinate both cases strategically to maximize your total recovery. You pay no fees out of pocket, and our consultation is free.
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