Construction Accident Attorney in Dallas

Engineering Insight Meets Courtroom Experience for Injured Construction Workers

Construction accident claims are among the most technically demanding personal injury cases in Texas. Liability can fall on a general contractor, a subcontractor, a property owner, an equipment manufacturer, or several of them at once. At Marchand Law, we bring a background many Dallas firms don’t: an attorney who has actually done the engineering work that construction accident cases demand.

David V. Marchand, MS, JD, has been a trial attorney for more than 30 years and has personally handled construction injuries, electrocutions, chemical exposures, manufacturing plant incidents, and explosions. Before law school, he worked as an aeronautical design engineer with an M.S. in Aerodynamics from Georgia Tech’s Guggenheim School of Aeronautics. Leanna Marchand, BSN, RN, JD, brings over 25 years of nursing and healthcare law experience, adding clinical depth to every injury analysis. Together, they carry 60 combined years of experience and personally handle every case. No associates.

How an Engineering Background Changes a Construction Accident Investigation

Before he tried his first case, David Marchand was analyzing load paths and system failures. At North American Aircraft in Los Angeles, he worked on computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel testing of advanced military aircraft, managed teams of engineers and scientists on NASA-funded supersonic flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base, and was one of the original aerodynamic designers of the X-31A experimental fighter aircraft.

That background translates directly to construction accident investigation. When a scaffold collapses, a crane fails, or a structure gives way, the evidence tells a mechanical story: one written in load tolerances, connection details, and design specifications. David reads that evidence the way an engineer does, not just the way an attorney does. That distinction matters when you’re building a case against a contractor who designed the shoring system or a manufacturer who supplied the defective rigging.

Leanna’s nursing background works alongside that technical analysis. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, and severe burn injuries each carry long-term medical consequences that require precise documentation to support a full damages claim. She brings clinical fluency to that part of the case.

Who May Be Liable in a Dallas Construction Accident

Identifying every liable party is one of the most consequential decisions in a construction accident claim. Texas law allows injured workers to pursue claims against parties beyond their direct employer, and construction sites routinely involve multiple contractors operating under overlapping scopes of work.

Potential defendants can include:

• General contractors and subcontractors responsible for site safety protocols and supervision
• Property owners with premises liability obligations to workers on their land
• Equipment manufacturers when a defective product contributed to the accident
• Design engineers or architects whose plans created an unreasonably dangerous condition
• Safety inspection personnel who failed to identify or correct known hazards

Texas is the only state that doesn’t require most private employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance. When an employer is a non-subscriber, injured workers can file a direct negligence lawsuit and aren’t subject to the caps that apply in workers’ comp proceedings. Even when workers’ comp applies, it doesn’t bar claims against third parties whose negligence contributed to the accident.

Construction Accidents We Handle

OSHA identifies four hazard categories: falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between accidents. These are responsible for the majority of construction worker deaths each year. These are the Fatal Four, and they represent only part of what we handle.

Our construction accident practice covers:

• Falls from scaffolding, ladders, and elevated surfaces
• Struck-by accidents involving falling debris or swinging materials
• Electrocutions from exposed wiring or unprotected electrical systems
• Caught-in/between accidents involving heavy machinery and equipment
• Crane, rigging, and hoist failures
• Trench and excavation collapses
• Chemical and toxic substance exposure
• Explosions and fires on construction sites
• Wrongful death claims brought by surviving family members

Serious construction accidents produce catastrophic injuries. Brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and severe burns are among the most common outcomes, and each requires careful medical and legal analysis to document current and future losses accurately.

Damages Available to Construction Accident Victims in Texas

A successful construction accident claim in Texas can recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include past and future medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and rehabilitation costs. Non-economic damages cover physical pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of consortium.

In cases involving gross negligence, Texas law also permits recovery of exemplary damages. Wrongful death claims brought by a surviving spouse, children, or parents may include funeral expenses, lost financial support, and loss of companionship. The specific damages available depend on the facts of the case, and we work to identify and document every category that applies.

Talk to a Dallas Construction Accident Lawyer

Construction accident cases move fast. Evidence on an active job site can be disturbed or removed within days, and Texas law gives injured workers two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. Starting early gives us a stronger opportunity to preserve what matters.

David and Leanna Marchand handle every case themselves. When you call, you speak with an attorney. We offer confidential consultations for construction accident victims in Dallas and throughout the DFW Metro.