A Work injury lawyer is a professional who helps injured workers recover the financial compensation they deserve. Every state has its own laws and procedures for dealing with workplace injuries. Having an experienced attorney to guide you through the process and protect your rights maximizes your chances of recovering the maximum benefits available under your state’s law.
Many employers and insurance companies routinely reject bona fide workers’ compensation claims, hoping that injured employees will not bother to appeal. A skilled New York workplace accident attorney will know how to spot these red flags and fight for your right to full financial compensation.
Whether you are a factory worker, construction worker, retail employee or office worker, your job may involve repetitive motions such as typing, clicking, pulling and pushing. Over time, these motions can result in permanent injuries to the muscles, nerves and ligaments. Often, these injuries are diagnosed as a repetitive motion injury.
When a worker sustains an injury at work, it is important to immediately seek medical treatment. However, if the medical professionals treating you do not recognize your injury or do not recommend treatments that will help, you should consider seeking another opinion from a different doctor. An experienced Work injury lawyer can provide you with a list of qualified physicians who are willing to treat repetitive motion injuries.
In addition to helping you get the proper medical care, Work injury lawyers can also assist with getting other types of benefits that are available under your state’s workers’ compensation law. These can include temporary total disability (TTD) which provides weekly payments of about 2/3 of your average wages while you are recovering from your injury. Prescription drugs are covered, as well as mileage and other expenses incurred while going to and from medical appointments.
Workers’ compensation laws can be complicated, and even when you are trying to do everything right, there are many things that can go wrong. Even seemingly minor mistakes can have a huge impact on the resolution of your claim. For example, if you post pictures of yourself on social media, insurance companies can use these to argue that your injury is not as severe as you report it to be. A Work injury lawyer will be able to point out these issues and coach you on how to avoid them.
If your employer or their insurance company tries to minimize, reduce or suspend your benefits, you should have a Work injury lawyer fighting for you. If your case goes to trial, a Work injury lawyer can present expert testimony that supports your claim and exposes any missteps on the part of the insurance company.
It is also possible to file a personal injury lawsuit against third parties who contributed to your injury in some cases. This can be done in conjunction with filing a workers’ compensation claim. If, for example, you were hurt by a defective piece of machinery on the job, you can file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of that equipment.