Injured at Work? What’s Next?
After being injured at work, it can be difficult to understand your rights. There is no guarantee you will be treated fairly, which causes many injured workers to feel powerless.
Types of workplace injuries that can be compensated include slip-and-fall injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and other accidents caused by an on-the-job activity and falls under workplace injury law.
Workplace injuries happen in many different contexts. Any of the following types of workplace injuries can seriously and permanently compromise your ability to work and live normally. In addition to being painful, these injuries may threaten your earning potential and your family’s financial security. A personal injury attorney specializing in workplace injury lawsuits can help you obtain compensation so that you can cover the cost of expenses related to your injury and provide for your family.
Types of workplace injuries and illnesses that can be compensated include:
FALLS AND OTHER TRAUMATIC INJURIES
Falls are common among construction workers, miners, and factory employees. Many construction accidents involve falls from defective ladders or scaffoldings. A fall from several stories up can break bones, cause internal injuries, and even result in permanent paralysis or death. Workers who do sustain such injuries can expect to miss a significant period of time at work while recovering, and many are never able to return.
CHRONIC EXPOSURE CONDITIONS
Many high-risk jobs involve exposure to toxic substances. Miners and industrial workers whose jobs require working with hazardous chemicals and minerals are entitled to appropriate safety equipment and other safeguards to prevent illness due to chronic exposure. The classic example of this scenario is asbestos exposure. Those who were exposed to asbestos in the mid-to-late-20th century have since developed mesothelioma and other life-threatening health problems because they were not sufficiently protected.
COMMON CAUSES OF WORKPLACE INJURIES
Employers are obligated to maintain a safe workplace for their employees, but many fail to do so, and workers are injured every year as a result. Use this list to identify workplace hazards and determine whether you may be at risk. If you have already suffered an injury in the workplace, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and other losses.
DEFECTIVE OR HAZARDOUS EQUIPMENT
One of the most common causes of workplace injuries is defective or hazardous equipment. Equipment may be hazardous if it is poorly designed, manufactured, assembled, or repaired. Anything from complicated heavy machinery and power tools to ladders and scaffolds can cause disabling or fatal injuries. These types of accidents are particularly common at construction and mining sites.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Many workers are exposed to toxic substances. Employees whose jobs involve working with toxic substances have a right to appropriate safeguards so they are not at an unnecessary risk for illness or injury. For example, many workers in the asbestos industry were exposed to unsafe levels of asbestos during the 20th century and are now developing mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other conditions as a result.
MOTOR VEHICLE MISHAPS
Motor vehicles are integral to many peoples’ jobs, and where there are motor vehicles, there is always a risk. These accidents may be caused by reckless drivers or by equipment malfunctions. They are often serious and occasionally deadly.
INSUFFICIENT SAFETY GUIDELINES
All workplaces are required to establish and enforce appropriate safety guidelines to protect their employees. Workplaces that fail to do so are nearly always hazardous.
INSUFFICIENT TRAINING
Many workers are injured each year because they or their co-workers do not receive the training necessary to foster a safe workplace. All employers are obligated to train their employees thoroughly to avoid injuries. Workers who are undertrained or asked to perform duties for which they are unqualified put themselves and others at risk.
RECKLESS CO-WORKER CONDUCT
Employees can injure their co-workers when they behave recklessly or under the influence despite thorough safety training and appropriate guidelines. In these cases, the reckless individuals can be held responsible, but so can their supervisors and those who hired them.
When to Hire an Attorney
If you have suffered an injury in the workplace, it is good to seek legal counsel. A lawyer can help protect your legal rights and promote your interests if you are injured on the job. If there are complications with your medical treatment, a lawyer can advise you of your rights and provide you with the information you need to make an educated decision about pursuing compensation. If you are entitled to compensation through other means, an attorney can provide you with legal representation and handle the legal proceedings, as such claims are brought before a court.
Do not sign or agree to anything that you feel unsure about until you have spoken to an attorney (our firm can offer you a FREE consultation), especially when the following factors are included in your claim:
- Severe or moderate injuries may have long-term effects or affect your ability to work for an extended period.
- Pre-existing conditions that your employer may try to use against you.
- Denied medical benefits.
- Disagreement over the severity of your injury or whether it was truly work-related.
- Arguments or conflicts with your employer or the insurance company.
Key Facts of Hiring a Work Injury Attorney
Our Attorneys Protect Your Rights
Our award-winning personal injury lawyers will be your advocates as you negotiate with insurance companies and your employer. During these negotiations, employers will be trying to rid themselves of any liability, whereas the insurance company tries to pay as little compensation as possible to protect their profit margins. Fortunately, our experienced work injury lawyers will make sure to best represent your interest and get the best deal possible.
Furthermore, our knowledge of the current laws on employee compensation helps us make sure your rights are not violated.
Our Attorneys are Knowledgeable and Experienced
Our Personal Injury attorneys have experience handling cases that are similar to yours. We are knowledgeable about the law and we will find ways of building a strong case. We also ensure the right procedures are followed, therefore, with our help, you can ensure you are not being denied your entitled compensation due to any technicality or paperwork mistakes.
Our Attorneys Negotiate Better Settlement Offers
Plaintiffs who hire work injury attorneys to represent them usually get higher compensation compared to those who opted to represent themselves. Therefore, it would be best if you hired an injury lawyer to negotiate a suitable compensation offer on your behalf. This is especially important because the employers usually present an offer lower than what they would pay if an attorney is handling the case.
This is because we weigh your case and establish your medical bills plus the associated wage losses. In addition to this, we also help establish the right payment for less quantifiable things such as general damages, pain and suffering, physical discomfort, and the injury’s impact on your life. We then use this total cost at the negotiation table to determine the best compensation for all your troubles.
Employers are notorious for not offering worthy compensation for an injury sustained at the workplace. This is something you do not need to worry about if you hire a skilled attorney.
Peace of Mind
Getting an injury can be very traumatic, you have to deal not only with the physical pain but also mental and emotional distress. This stress can be a result of the mounting medical expenses and loss of wages, especially if you suffered a permanent disability.
In such cases, you might be eligible for a single lump-sum payment or weekly payments as compensation for lost wages. Nevertheless, this is not always the case since insurance firms deem this to be very costly. They thus do anything possible to make sure you do not get a fair compensation offer.
In such scenarios, you should contact an injury lawyer who will act on your behalf during these negotiation settlements. Therefore, you get to focus on the most important thing, which is getting better and trying to live a normal life.
Your Boss Hits Back for Demanding Employee Compensation
If you sustain an injury in the workplace, this is not your fault but that of your employer for not ensuring a safe and healthy working environment for the workers. However, some employees do not take it kindly when you decide to file a work injury claim. They instead retaliate by demoting you, lowering your salary, reducing your hours, or firing you altogether.
The attorney will use his expertise and experience practicing law in making sure you get fair and just compensation.
When it comes to issues like your long-term health and earning potential, you do not want to take chances. An attorney can help protect your rights as well as secure your benefits. Call work injury attorneys at Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC today (855-900-3429), or click on the live chat feature. A push of a button is all you need to be connected with a firm that will fight to ensure your life post-injury is as productive and financially secure as possible. We do not charge anything unless we win your case.
*The information on this blog is for advertisement and general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be considered legal advice for any individual case or situation. The verdicts, case results, and settlements shown on this site are intended to be representative of cases handled by Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC. These listings are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any other cases or claims.
