Have you ever had an accident in the workplace?
Have you ever struggled because of an injury sustained while working?
Because of this injury, have you had medical bills and treatment?
Have you lost time from work?
Then this may be the article you’re looking for.
Injuries affect American workers every day. They can happen in a restaurant, while falling on slick floors. They can happen in a factory, where machinery can cause loss of limbs or lacerations. They can happen while working outdoors and lifting heavy objects. A thrown back can cost money.
In short, they can happen anywhere, at anytime, and they can cost the worker hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in lost work, wages, time, and much more. They are dangerous events. They can cause financial hardship for a worker’s family and their children. This is especially true if the worker is the sole source of income.
There are some statistics worth noting before the bulk of this article. They are:
- 85% of worker?s compensation claims are attributed to employees slipping on slick floors.
- 22% of slip/fall incidents resulted in more than 31 days away from work.
- The maximum average compensation for an employee who damaged one arm at work in the United States amounted to approximately $169,880 as of March 2015.
- Fewer than one in four Americans have enough money in their savings account to cover at least six months of expenses in the event of an emergency.
This last statistic is particularly important. Less than 25% of Americans have enough money to cover six months in the event of an emergency. And a workplace accident is an emergency. It threatens the very livelihood of existence: money. And most Americans cannot afford an accident.
There are instances where an accident at work is the worker’s fault. Maybe they haven’t been following the safety rules. Maybe they have been doing something they shouldn’t have. Maybe they have been warned about this by supervisors and still do it anyway. Maybe it is truly their fault.
But in many instances, this is not the case. The person has been following the rules. They have been obeying the safety procedures, wearing those chemical protective vests, wearing the non-stick shoes, and following all the lifting procedures. Or worse: Maybe they’ve been encouraged to break the rules. After all, time is money. A short cut is a short cut.
At least according to the supervisor.
There are instances where the worker is not at fault, and this demands a certain level of action. Find an attorney. Sue the company. Get compensation for lost work wages. This is especially true if the employer is withholding workers’ compensation wages because they believe the worker is at fault.
Fight it. And keep fighting.
Workers’ compensation is a huge deal for someone living with an injury they have sustained in the workplace. It makes up for lost wages, helps someone get by, puts food on the table, keeps a marriage stable. In effect, it reduces conflict and hardship. And for someone recovering from an injury, the last thing they need is financial hardship.
A workers compensation lawyer can fight the company in court to get the worker financial compensation. They use their knowledge of the law and court system to win a workers compensation case, which can also be called a workers compensation claim. This leads to workers compensation benefits, which may be a great amount.
Workers compensation benefits can include more than the lost wages from the job. Workers compensation benefits can include the time missed due to injury from loss of work. This means if an injury is expected to keep a person out of work for three months, the workers compensation benefits last three months.
An injury sustained in the workplace could have ramifications long after the injury has ‘healed’. A hand may never get full motor control back if it is chewed in a shredder. This leads to loss of employment. In these cases, workers compensation benefits will be larger.
Finding the right lawyer is critical to winning a workers compensation case. The right lawyer will have a proven track record in winning cases and have references or the reputation to prove it. The right lawyer will have the experience necessary, the understanding of the law, and the ability to fight.