Construction sites are among the most dangerous workplaces in Missouri. When you are injured on a job site — whether by a fall, defective equipment, or another contractor's negligence — you may have rights beyond a standard workers' compensation claim. Chris Miller is a Columbia-based attorney who handles both workers' comp and third-party personal injury claims for injured construction workers across central Missouri. He personally handles every case, start to finish — no handoffs to associates or paralegals.
Chris served as a government attorney in the Missouri Department of Labor and administered the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation before entering private practice — the same agency that reviews disputed construction injury claims. He also argued and won a case before the Missouri Supreme Court that expanded the rights of working Missourians statewide. Insurance companies and their adjusters move fast after a construction accident. Chris moves faster.
Construction accidents in central Missouri happen on commercial builds along I-70, residential developments throughout Boone County, infrastructure projects across the region, and manufacturing and industrial sites from Columbia to Jefferson City. The injuries are often severe — broken bones, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, crush injuries, and burns. The legal picture is more complicated than most injured workers realize.
Workers' compensation covers you for injuries caused by your direct employer, but it caps your recovery and does not pay for pain and suffering. If a general contractor, subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, or property owner contributed to your injury, you may have a separate third-party personal injury claim that goes well beyond what workers' comp provides. Chris evaluates both tracks simultaneously — so you do not leave money on the table by settling one claim without understanding the other.
Construction consistently ranks among the most hazardous industries in the country. Falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between hazards — what OSHA calls the "Fatal Four" — account for the majority of construction deaths and serious injuries every year.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (2022)
Nonfatal injuries tell an equally serious story. Construction workers suffer fractures, amputations, lacerations, and traumatic injuries at rates that often result in weeks or months away from work, long-term physical limitations, and permanent disability. In Missouri, the Division of Workers' Compensation administers claims for these injuries, but the WC system is designed to be quick and limited — not comprehensive. For workers who suffer catastrophic injuries, third-party claims against negligent contractors or equipment manufacturers are often the only path to full compensation. Call Chris at (573) 499-0200 to find out which claims apply to your situation.
Construction site accidents involve many different causes, liable parties, and legal theories. Whether your injury was caused by a fall from scaffolding, a defective power tool, or a negligent subcontractor, the facts of how and why it happened determine what claims you can bring — and who you can bring them against.
Falls from scaffolding, ladders, rooftops, and elevated platforms are the leading cause of construction fatalities. OSHA fall protection standards impose obligations on general contractors and employers — violations can support both regulatory action and civil liability.
Contact with overhead power lines, improperly grounded equipment, or exposed wiring causes some of the most severe and fatal construction injuries. Utility companies, electrical subcontractors, and equipment manufacturers may all bear liability depending on the cause.
Crane collapses, forklift accidents, and incidents involving backhoes, skid steers, and other heavy equipment can cause crush injuries, amputations, and wrongful death. Operator error, equipment maintenance failures, and manufacturer defects are all potential liability theories.
Workers are struck by falling tools, swinging loads, and projectiles from power equipment every day on construction sites. General contractors have a duty to maintain overhead protection and enforce site safety rules for all crews on the project.
Trench collapses, scaffolding failures, and building collapses during construction cause catastrophic injuries. Engineers, contractors, and property owners may face liability for inadequate shoring, improper design, or failure to follow safety plans.
When a power tool, safety harness, or piece of machinery fails because it was improperly manufactured or designed, the manufacturer and distributor may be liable under Missouri product liability law regardless of fault on the job site.
Delivery trucks, haul vehicles, and equipment operators who strike workers on job sites may be liable directly, along with their employers if the accident occurred in the course of employment. These cases often involve both workers' comp and a third-party auto or premises claim.
On multi-contractor job sites, a worker employed by one subcontractor may be injured by the negligence of a different subcontractor's crew, or by the general contractor's failure to maintain a safe site. This creates third-party liability separate from and in addition to a workers' comp claim.
Missouri's pure comparative fault rule under Chapter 537 RSMo means that even if you share some fault for the accident, you can still recover damages in a personal injury lawsuit — your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Workers' compensation is a no-fault system and is not affected by comparative fault at all.
Missouri workers' comp covers all reasonable medical treatment, temporary total disability benefits at two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you are unable to work, permanent partial or total disability benefits once you reach maximum medical improvement, and vocational rehabilitation if you cannot return to your previous occupation.
A civil lawsuit against a negligent third party — a general contractor, subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, or property owner — allows recovery of full lost wages (not capped at two-thirds), pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and future medical costs beyond what workers' comp will pay.
When a construction accident causes death, surviving spouses, children, and parents may bring a wrongful death claim under §537.080 RSMo. Recoverable damages include funeral and burial costs, loss of the financial support the deceased would have provided, and loss of consortium and companionship.
In cases where an employer, contractor, or manufacturer acted with conscious disregard for worker safety — knowingly ignoring OSHA violations or concealing known defects — Missouri courts may award punitive damages designed to punish the conduct and deter future violations.
Chris Miller personally handles every step of a construction accident case — from the first call through final resolution. No handoffs to associates or paralegals. No case managers who don't know the file.
Missouri's workers' compensation statute at Chapter 287 RSMo requires you to report a workplace injury to your employer within 30 days and to file a formal claim within two years of the injury or last payment of compensation. Missing the 30-day reporting deadline can reduce or eliminate your benefits. A third-party personal injury lawsuit must be filed within five years of the injury date under §516.120 RSMo, and a wrongful death claim must be brought within three years under §537.100 RSMo.
Missouri's workers' compensation system is the exclusive remedy against your direct employer — you cannot sue your own employer in civil court for a workplace injury. However, that exclusivity does not extend to other parties on the job site. A general contractor who controls the work site, a subcontractor whose employees created a hazard, a property owner who failed to warn of a known danger, and the manufacturer of defective equipment can all be defendants in a civil lawsuit regardless of your workers' comp claim.
Insurance adjusters for contractors and equipment manufacturers contact injured workers quickly — often within days of an accident — with settlement offers that do not reflect the full value of the claim. Accepting an early settlement and signing a release extinguishes all future rights against that party, even if your injuries worsen. At Bur Oak Injury Law, Chris handles all communications with insurers and does not accept inadequate offers. Call (573) 499-0200 before you speak with any adjuster.
A construction accident claim in Columbia, Missouri often involves overlapping legal systems — workers' compensation administered by the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation, and civil tort law governing third-party negligence claims. Understanding which injuries qualify for each type of claim, and how the two interact, is essential to protecting your full recovery. An injured construction worker who settles a workers' comp claim without first evaluating third-party liability may permanently waive rights to additional compensation that would have been available through a separate personal injury lawsuit.
When a general contractor or subcontractor violates OSHA safety standards — by failing to provide fall protection, failing to guard open excavations, or allowing unguarded machinery — those violations are evidence of negligence in a civil construction accident lawsuit. Missouri courts recognize that construction site safety obligations apply not just to direct employers but to any party with supervisory control over the work area. A construction accident lawyer in Columbia, Missouri evaluates all parties — general contractors, subcontractors, site owners, equipment lessors, and manufacturers — to identify every available source of recovery for seriously injured workers.
No fee unless we win. Chris personally handles every case from the first call through resolution — no handoffs, no associates.