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If you have been injured on the job, it is important to get a lawyer who specializes in workers’ compensation law. You may think that because you are not an employee of a company or organization, you don’t need a lawyer for your injury claim. This couldn’t be further from the truth! The fact is that when we go to work every day, we trust our employers and co-workers with our safety and well-being. If something goes wrong at work and someone gets hurt, they may be entitled to workers’ comp benefits depending on their state laws. Let us take a look at three times when it makes sense to consider consulting with a worker’s compensation lawyer.
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1. When The Injury Is Unclear
This is one of those times where it can be difficult to determine whether an injury occurred on the job or away from work. Did you twist your ankle at home before you went to work? Or did you hurt it as a result of an accident at the construction site? If this wasn’t something that happened while working, then worker’s comp doesn’t cover it and you don’t need a lawyer. However, if there was any question about how this injury occurred, and your employer and their insurance company think there might be some connection between the two events, consult with a worker’s comp attorney immediately!
2. When There Were Unsafe Working Conditions
You may be more familiar with this scenario than the first one we discussed because who hasn’t heard of a construction worker or coal miner getting injured while doing their job? If an accident occurred at work and you think that some sort of unsafe work condition played a role, consult with an attorney immediately! The sooner you file your claim, the more time they will have to gather evidence and prove that there was indeed an unsafe condition at work that contributed to your injury. For example, say you are working for ABC Construction Company when they are supposed to be fixing up a house. You are using power tools and a small piece of wood from the ceiling falls on your head, knocking you out. Upon waking up, you notice that there used to be nailed in this spot where the piece of wood fell and now they’re gone. The next day, you see ABC’s business partner working at another job site and there is no longer any evidence that he was ever called about fixing the home.
3. When Someone Else Got Hurt As Well
This might seem counter-intuitive because we typically assume only one person is hurt when workplace accidents occur. However, in some cases, the accident itself or something else that happened during the event leads to another injury. For example, say you were working on a construction site and the scaffolding collapsed underneath you. You fell and broke your leg but at the same time, there was so much commotion because of your accident that another worker dropped his toolbox on someone’s foot and injured them as well! In such scenarios, it may be possible for both workers to seek benefits from their employer’s insurance company. Who should file? It depends on who was most seriously injured; however, if one claimant might get denied based on not having enough proof of their injuries (such as medical documentation), they should still contact a lawyer.
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