“Very thankful for everything they did for us. Always responsive, reassured us every step of the way and obtained a great result.”
Miguel Orellana
✦ 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
San Bernardino is building at a pace that shows no sign of slowing. Drive along the I-10 east of the I-215 interchange and you will see it: steel skeletons of future distribution centers rising from the desert floor, concrete trucks pouring massive foundation slabs, and heavy equipment reshaping terrain for the next wave of logistics facilities. Each of these projects employs hundreds of construction workers in trades that carry real physical danger. When the inevitable injuries occur, the workers who build San Bernardino's future economy are often the last to receive fair treatment from the insurance system that is supposed to protect them.
Construction injuries are fundamentally different from other workplace injuries in their severity and complexity. The "Fatal Four" causes of construction death, identified by OSHA, are falls, struck-by incidents, electrocution, and caught-in/between hazards. In San Bernardino, where the dominant construction type is large-scale commercial warehouse building, these risks are amplified. Tilt-up concrete construction, which is the standard method for building distribution centers, involves lifting and placing massive concrete wall panels that weigh tens of thousands of pounds. Steel erection for roof systems places ironworkers at dangerous heights. Deep utility trenching for the plumbing, electrical, and fire suppression systems that serve these massive buildings creates collapse hazards that can bury workers in seconds.
Under California workers' compensation law, construction workers are entitled to medical treatment, temporary disability payments, permanent disability awards, and supplemental job displacement vouchers. For serious injuries like spinal fractures, traumatic brain injuries, amputations, or crush injuries, the permanent disability component can be substantial. But construction cases are also among the most contested. Multiple layers of contractors and subcontractors create disputes about which insurer is responsible. General contractors may try to blame the subcontractor, while the subcontractor claims the general contractor controlled the unsafe conditions. These disputes delay benefits and create confusion that works to the insurance company's advantage.
Our lead attorney, Eman Yazdchi, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law who has represented construction workers across the Inland Empire. He understands the multiemployer worksite dynamics that make construction cases complex, the specific medical injuries that construction workers sustain, and the occupational classifications that affect disability ratings. We communicate in English, Spanish, and Farsi, serving the diverse workforce that builds San Bernardino's infrastructure.
Construction workers in the IE often work for small subcontractors that carry minimum insurance coverage, or they are employed through labor brokers that may cut corners on workers' comp entirely. When an injury happens, the first battle is often just establishing who provides coverage. Our firm has extensive experience navigating these employer-insurer relationships, identifying all responsible parties, and ensuring that the injured worker is not caught in a finger-pointing exercise between contractors, subcontractors, and their respective carriers.
We handle construction injury cases at the San Bernardino WCAB District Office, where we are familiar with the judges and the procedural expectations. We move quickly on construction cases because we know the evidence is time-sensitive. Construction sites change daily, witnesses disperse to other projects, and safety conditions that existed at the time of injury may be corrected before they can be documented. Prompt action protects both the legal claim and the worker's access to benefits.
Injured at work in San Bernardino? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →When you contact our firm after a construction injury, we take immediate action. We evaluate the circumstances of your injury, identify all potentially responsible employers and insurers, and file your claim with the San Bernardino WCAB District Office. We arrange for medical evaluation by physicians who understand construction-related injuries and pursue every benefit available under the Labor Code: temporary disability while you recover, permanent disability for lasting impairments, medical treatment through the life of the claim, and vocational retraining if you cannot return to construction work. If Cal/OSHA has investigated the accident, we obtain those records. If the insurer disputes the claim, we prepare for hearing. You pay nothing unless we recover benefits for you.
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