Workers’ Compensation and Beyond

Nearly every worker has heard about workers’ compensation. While rules vary by state, workers’ compensation is generally an insurance program paid for by your employer, and covers work-related injuries or illnesses. In Pennsylvania, the program pays for medical bills, lost wages, and job re-training if you cannot return to your job. If you experience an injury that leaves you permanently disabled, workers’ compensation will pay you permanent disability compensation.

Workers’ Compensation Claims for Injury or Illness on the Job

If you are injured on the job you should report it immediately to your supervisor. Your supervisor will then file an accident report that is known as a “First Report of Occupational Injury” form and send a copy to the insurance company and another copy to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Your employer’s insurance company has 21 days to accept or deny the claim.

If your claim is accepted keep all the paperwork and speak to your employer about the next steps. If the claim is accepted with restrictions, contact an experienced workers’ compensation attorney for a free case review.

If the insurance company does not accept responsibility for the work related injury, you will receive a denial notice. To appeal or challenge their decision, you should file a document called a “Workers’ Compensation Claim Petition” and hire an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to assist you. Good attorneys can be reached through law firms such as O’Connor Law. You can call us at(570) 874-3300 or Toll Free: (800) 518-4529. Case evaluations are done for free and you only are charged if we win your case.

If you are involved in an injury that is serious and have large medical bills, insurance companies may look for ways to avoid paying you what you deserve. It is best to hire an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to help you with your case and protect your rights under the workers’ compensation laws. Call O’Connor Law at(570) 874-3300 or Toll Free: (800) 518-4529.

Other Legal Actions

Workers injured on the job may have additional legal rights. While suing your employer is usually prohibited for on-the-job injuries, others (not your employer or co-worker) who are responsible may be sued.

Perhaps you are an accountant and part of your job is visiting clients at their place of business. On the way to the client you are hit broadside by a car and injured. Your employer’s workers’ compensation policy will pay for your medical expenses due to injuries as well as lost wages. But, you have the right to sue the other driver for continuing medical care, additional lost wages, or if you are a family member of an employee who died from the crash you can sue for wrongful death.

Another example is to imagine you are a construction worker on a construction site where an employee of another contractor, maybe the electrical contractor, drops something from several floors above you that injures your shoulder. You may have the right to sue the other contracting firm and its employee beyond the help you get from workers’ compensation. Other common causes of such injuries include:

• Car Accidents
• Defective Products
• Unsafe Premises
• Loss of Body Part
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Head, Neck and Back Injuries
• Cold Injuries

It is best to hire an experienced attorney from a law firm such as O’Connor Law. Call them at(570) 874-3300 or Toll Free: (800) 518-4529. Protect your rights and get what you deserve from an on-the-job injury.