Many workers will need to—or can benefit greatly from—hiring a workers' compensation lawyer. In very few cases, an employee who suffers an injury at work can make a claim outside of workers' compensation, and a personal injury lawyer would be appropriate.
Full Answer
If any of these apply, you may need a lawyer. 1. Broken bones, hospital stay, long-term health affected. 2. Someone died in the accident. 3. Medical treatment costing more than a couple thousand $$. 4. Missing more than a couple days work, school, or normal activities.
Jun 28, 2021 · You’ll need an experienced personal injury attorney to stand up to the corporate bullies and win the compensation you’re entitled to. If you’re the victim of an assault at work, don’t sign away your rights to full compensation. You have too much to lose. Most law firms offer …
May 21, 2016 · A minor injury with a minimal amount of medical treatment and no lost time usually can be handled without a lawyer. Bumps, bruises, contusions, lacerations, or even a few stitches which are treated in the emergency room or with a few follow up visits to Doctor's Care …
There are often these types of situations where the injured worker thinks that he has no rights, and that he might as well just go back to work or quit his job. As an attorney who practices this …
When your employer doesn’t take reasonable actions to protect you from workplace violence, and you are injured, you may have the right to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit in addition to your workers’ comp claim.
Under certain conditions, an injured employee can claim workers’ comp benefits and file a lawsuit against their employer to seek additional compensation. Employers have a legal duty of care to provide a safe work environment and to protect their employees from undue harm and physical injury.
If the employers’ gross negligence contributed to the assault, or the employer failed to carry workers’ comp insurance, the injured worker has the right to file a personal injury claim against the employer. Most courts provide an opportunity for victims of violent crimes to seek restitution from the attacker, or at least give a victim impact ...
Protect your rights after an assault at work. In addition to workers’ comp, your employer and the attacker may be liable for your damages.
Workplace violence usually involves assaultive behavior. Injuries from a violent assault can range from scrapes and bruises to broken bones, serious head injuries, and even death. Sexual assault may also occur at the workplace. Employees injured from an assault at work are entitled to workers’ compensation coverage.
If your boyfriend’s ex unexpectedly shows up at the department store where you work and punches you in the nose, your employer is probably not liable for your injuries. The employer could not know that someone with a personal grudge would show up at your workplace.
The court may order your attacker to pay “restitution.”. If your attacker receives probation, the prosecutor can ask the court to order them to pay for your damages as a condition of probation. That amount isn’t paid directly to you, but it may come through some other court-approved administrator.
Employer Cooperation#N#If your employer seems to be angry at you for getting hurt or refuses to send you to a doctor, this may be a warning they do not plan to cooperate to get your benefits started. The employer is supposed to report the injury to their insurance company right away. The insurance company then "adjusts" the claim - investigates to determine if the injury is compensable and what benefits are owed. If the employer does not report the claim, the insurance company won't know about it and will not be processing the claim for benefits. This can cause all sorts of problems and delays. Many employers try to do the right thing, but with a non-cooperative employer it is probably a good idea for an injured worker to consult a lawyer.
Refusal to Pay Weekly Benefits#N#If you are unable to work and are not getting paid weekly benefits, you should consult a lawyer. Important tip: Always get your work status in writing from the doctor, provide a copy to your employer and keep a copy for your records!
Denied Claim#N#If your claim is denied by your employer or their insurance carrier, you will most likely need a lawyer to help you prove you case. Some denied cases involve complicated legal issues best handled by an attorney.
This a question that attorneys are often asked from someone who just had the misfortune of getting injured while at work. It is a question that this author often hears from someone who KNOWS someone who got hurt at work. Well, the short answer is no. Generally, if you fall down at work and break your leg, most likely, you will receive workers’ compensation benefits for time missed for work and your medical bills will be paid by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company. However, not all injuries are quite as obvious as a broken leg. For instance, some injuries happen over time – a repetitive trauma. Carpal tunnel, aggravation of pre-existing asthma, or thoracic outlet syndrome are a few examples of work injuries whose causation may not be so obvious. If someone uses her hands at work all day, perhaps the repetitive use caused carpal tunnel over time, perhaps not. These are the cases where legal help is a must, because these are the cases that insurance companies can easily deny as being not work-related.
Generally, if you fall down at work and break your leg, most likely, you will receive workers’ compensation benefits for time missed for work and your medical bills will be paid by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company. However, not all injuries are quite as obvious as a broken leg.
The short answer is absolutely “yes.”. These are the very situations that naturally happen when a hard worker does not want to look like a crybaby or seek medical treatment, or is afraid of missing work or being fired for pursuing his workers’ compensation rights.
After an employee is injured, the employer must either accept or deny an injury within 21 days. Once an injury is accepted as work related, the insurance carrier is liable for medical bills and/or wage loss benefits as long as that employee continues to be disabled under the PA Workers’ Compensation Act.
Often, if an injured worker does not return to work in what the employer or insurance carrier deems to be a reasonable time, the carrier will file a petition to stop or modify his benefits.
For instance, some injuries happen over time – a repetitive trauma. Carpal tunnel, aggravation of pre-existing asthma, or thoracic outlet syndrome are a few examples of work injuries whose causation may not be so obvious. If someone uses her hands at work all day, perhaps the repetitive use caused carpal tunnel over time, perhaps not.
If you have been charged with criminal assault or battery, you should contact an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. They will be able to help you assert any available defense to the charges brought against you, defend you in court, and guide you through the entire criminal process.
Importantly, there is no requirement that the defendant must intend to have made physical contact with the victim for a battery to occur; only that they intended to cause imminent apprehension of fear of physical harm in the victim that resulted in contact.
Because they are both torts, an assault or battery may serve as the basis for a civil lawsuit. However, every state also has criminal statutes for assault and battery. This means that both acts can result in prosecution by state courts, which may result in fines and jail time for the aggressor. Although both civil and criminal assault ...
For example, picking up a pile of rocks and throwing them at a person, but not hitting them, is an assault; whereas, the actual physical contact of the rocks with the person’s body, is a battery.
Victim compensation funds are provided through a government program in order to reimburse victims of violent crimes, such as assault or battery, as well as their families for out-of-pocket expenses and medical bills. Every state has some sort of victim compensation program; thus, it is important to look up the requirements for receiving funds ...
This means that you will have to legally respond to a civil lawsuit, once served, typically within 30 days, and deny the charges or assert any defenses available to you.
Finally, if there is no plea bargain a preliminary hearing will be held where a judge will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to charge you with a crime.
The following are some examples of when you're best served by hiring a lawyer: Your claim is denied. Insurance companies deny workers' compensation claims for a variety of reasons. For example, the insurance company might claim that your injury wasn't work-related or that you filed your claim too late.
If you can never work again, you'll need to maximize your workers' comp benefits and structure them in a way to last well into the future. If you need to change careers, you'll need to secure training in a new line of work. A lawyer can help you do both.
However, you probably wouldn't even receive wage loss benefits in most states because you were only out of work for a few days.
For example, the insurance company might claim that your injury wasn't work-related or that you filed your claim too late. (To learn more, see our article on common reasons workers' comp claims are denied .)
Insurance companies often deny—or delay in approving—expensive medical treatments, such as surgery. A lawyer can put pressure on the insurance company to approve necessary medical treatments in a timely manner. Your ability to work has been affected.
If you can never work again, you'll need to maximize your workers' comp benefits and structure them in a way to last well into the future.
Workers' compensation lawyers don't charge in the typical hourly fashion. Instead, they charge a contingency fee: a percentage of any workers' comp benefits they help you recover. Additionally, many states place caps on contingency fees in workers' comp cases.
Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find a reputable lawyer. Even if your friends or family don't know any employment lawyers, they might know other lawyers—such as a family lawyer or estate planning lawyer—who can provide a recommendation. Keep in mind that individual preferences for a particular lawyer are guided by intangibles such as personality or your comfort level with the person. Here are a few questions you may want to ask a person who gives you a glowing review of a particular employment lawyer: 1 Did this lawyer respond to all your telephone calls and other communications promptly? 2 Did the lawyer take the time to listen to your explanation and understand your situation fully? 3 Were all the bills you received properly itemized and in line with the cost projections you got at the start of your case? 4 Did this lawyer personally handle your case, or was it handed off to a younger, less-experienced lawyer in the same firm?
Some employment lawyers charge on an hourly basis instead of a contingency fee. This can be advantageous for an employee if the scope of the work is relatively small, such as reviewing a contract or negotiating a better employment package.
If you have a workplace dispute with your employer, you might need to hire an employment lawyer. While some issues can be resolved with open communication, often times, a lawyer is essential to getting compensation or other justice for workplace violations. This is especially true if you were fired for a discriminatory reason, ...
However, others will charge a reasonable fee for legal advice. A charge of between $75 and $250 for a one-hour consultation is typical.
If you win the case, the lawyer's fee comes out of the money awarded to you. If you lose, neither you nor the lawyer will get any money. A lawyer's willingness to take your case on a contingent fee is usually a sign of the lawyer's faith in the strength of your claim.
Sometimes, a lawyer working under a contingency agreement will require that you pay all out-of-pocket expenses, such as filing fees charged by the courts and the cost of transcribing depositions—interviews of witnesses and others involved in a lawsuit who may provide additional information about the facts and circumstances. If so, the lawyer will want you to deposit a substantial amount of money—a thousand dollars or more—with the law firm to cover these expenses. From your standpoint, it is a much better arrangement for the lawyer to advance such costs and get repaid out of your recovery. A commonsense arrangement might involve your advancing a small amount of money for some costs, with the attorney advancing the rest.
Every state in the country has its own bar association, which is typically the governing body that licenses, monitors, and disciplines all lawyers practicing in the state. Many state bar associations operate attorney referral services for use by members of the public for a small fee.
What to Do if Attacked at Work. Whenever an attack occurs, the first thing to do is call the police. Even if the attacker has left the scene, creating an accurate police report can go a long way to establishing your rights in both criminal and civil cases.
One of the most complicated issues arising from an attack at work is whether any sort of discipline will flow from the incident. Unfortunately, all too often, the person who has been attacked is disciplined right along with the attacker. This is particularly true if the attacker is a customer or client, in which case the employer often dismisses the employee in an effort to mitigate possible liability.
Discipline. One of the most complicated issues arising from an attack at work is whether any sort of discipline will flow from the incident. Unfortunately, all too often, the person who has been attacked is disciplined right along with the attacker.
Even if the attacker has left the scene, creating an accurate police report can go a long way to establishing your rights in both criminal and civil cases. Also, talk to any witnesses, get their take on what happened, and collect their contact information in case you need to call them as witnesses at a later date.
Prisoners injured in jail or prison have a right to seek compensation. Here’s what inmates need to know about injury claims against correctional facilities.
If another driver caused the accident, injured prisoners have a right to file an injury claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Assault by another inmate: One of the most common forms of state and prison inmate injuries arise from attacks by other prisoners.
Inmates have a right to expect a decent standard of living, even in jail. When authorities fail to provide or enforce a minimum standard of health and safety protection, prisoners end up hurt.
Incarcerated individuals lose some of their civil rights, but not all of them . Inmates have a right to expect a decent standard of living, even in jail. When authorities fail to provide or enforce a minimum standard of health and safety protection, prisoners end up hurt. Common causes of prisoner injuries include:
Slip and falls: Inmates aren’t immune from slip and fall injuries. Inmates can slip, trip, and fall on wet floors, uneven flooring, spilled food or other debris, and from trying to walk while shackled. Fall injuries range from cuts and bruises to muscle or tendon strain, broken bones, head injuries, and more.
Inmates have a right to expect a decent standard of living, even in jail. When authorities fail to provide or enforce a minimum standard of health and safety protection, prisoners end up hurt. Common causes of prisoner injuries include: Slip and falls: Inmates aren’t immune from slip and fall injuries.
If you had to hire a lawyer, then you have a serious problem. You are going into a legal war with that lawyer and you need to be able to sit in the same foxhole with them. There is a lot of downtime even on mediation or trial day.
Every day the lawyer goes to work and deals with problems they did not create. Yes, they get paid to do it , but it can be very easy to simply label practicing law as 'the job' and the clients as 'cases' or 'files'.
Yes, sometimes it requires they reseach a particular issue or law, but reseaching should be step one in the plan. A lawyer who says give me your money and has no plan, has a plan, and that plan is to take your money. Any time you talk to your attorney, they should be able to tell you what is the next step in your case. 4.
In a perfect world every lawyer would be a perfect match for every client. In the real world your attorney's personality and style needs to match your needs as well satisfy your legal goals. Sometimes even the best attorney in the courtroom and office can cause you additional stress and money.
When hiring an attorney determine before you leave the initial meeting how infomation will be communicated to you, how court dates and expectations will be relayed to you, and what you can do if you are not getting what you need in response to your concerns.
Some lawyers are high energy all the time. Some are calm and serene. Others are either somewhere in between or change based on the circumstances or what they had for breakfast. If you had to hire a lawyer, then you have a serious problem.
On the other hand, if the lawyer grates on your nerves or hypes the tension every time they open their mouth, you could still win your legal matter but want to die anyway. 3. Lack of Decisiveness. From the first meeting with your lawyer they should be able to lay out a plan for how to proceed with your legal matter.