Workers’ Compensation – An Intro for Personal Injury Law Cases

This blog guide highlights what you need to know about workers’ compensation in cases where you feel you deserve compensation for an injury. What is workers’ compensation? Most who are covered know the basics – that states make it mandatory for companies to give workers benefits in case of injuries – but some take it for granted. Worker compensation cases can be complex, difficult, and costly in terms of both time and money. It’s your right to get it, and your option to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer if you have questions, run into difficulty, or feel you are being cheated out of your benefits.

How can you get your compensation?
Worker compensation can be different from state to state. In most states, you get it from your employer. You may have been hurt while driving a forklift, and then the company will cover any damages you experience – including medical bills, time lost out of work, and pain and suffering issues. The insurer is who pays the damages, but the company is the one liable. Sometimes state laws are different, where smaller companies who likely lack the option of paying for insurance can avoid it being required. Also, major companies such as Fortune 500 corporations can cover workers themselves, instead of going through an insurance carrier.

You will likely be told what kind of compensation you can get, if you get it. If the state does not force the employer to have compensation, you likely need a professional personal injury lawyer with experience in handling workers’ compensation cases.

What injuries are covered?
Each company may have some differences, but in most cases the majority of injuries are covered under worker compensation. If you are hit by a car while driving a load … if you fall down at work and break a leg … even if you make common mistakes you should be covered. There are cases where you are not covered, such as if the injury is a result of using drugs or alcohol. If you are in an accident and it’s determined alcohol was a major reason, that’s one example of compensation being harder to get.

Another common question we hear is about the length of the coverage. If you can prove your injury was a result of working at your job, you also deserve compensation. Say for example you pick up heavy machines on a daily basis; 5 years later, you experience severe back problems; in this example, you again can and should be covered. Just because you have no immediate injury does not mean you will fail to get benefits. Many injuries occur over time.

Get Help with Personal Injury Law
If you’re running into trouble getting compensation from your employer or an insurance carrier, it’s time to talk to a personal injury lawyer. You want one experienced in workers’ compensation cases. It can lead to compensation beyond just medical bills – you can get wages lost, as well as pain and suffering help for your future.