5 Signs You Need a Work Injury Lawyer

Did you know that in the year 2019 there were over 2.8 million work-related injuries in the United States?

Unfortunately, when you sustain an injury at work things can get complicated. That is why you need to know the signs that you need to hire a work injury lawyer for help with your work injury compensation.

While some companies are great to work with when it comes to work-related injuries, that isn’t always the case. Work injury lawyers can help you through this difficult time and ensure that you get all the benefits and compensation you deserve.

Keep reading to learn more about the five signs that you need to hire a work-related injury lawyer.

1. Your Employer Denies Your Claim

When it comes to work injury reports, employers occasionally deny your claims of being injured on the job. There are multiple reasons why claims get denied, with the most common being that the worker didn’t provide any notice of the injury.

A lack of medical evidence is also often cited as the reason behind why a claim gets denied by an employer. Essentially, as long as there is a legal reason for it, your boss and employer can deny your work injury claims.

Despite that, employers will also deny legitimate work injury claims. When this happens, you need to hire a personal injury lawyer to help fight this legal battle for you.

Many workers think that if they appeal a denied claim, they are likely to lose their jobs. Your employer is not allowed to fire you after filing your claim of a work-related injury. You must file your work injury report as soon as possible.

If your employer denies your claim outright then it is a clear sign that you’re going to need to hire a work injury attorney.

2. Waiting for Your Employer to Pay Benefits

Once you’ve reported your injury and filed your work injury claim, the next step in the process is that your employer’s insurer reviews the case of what happened.

That step of the process varies in length depending on which state you work in. If your employer’s insurer does not accept or reject your claim within your state’s required time limit, you might be able to collect a penalty fee.

Some states will penalize the insurer for being late in providing the benefits payments to an injured worker. If the deadline for accepting or rejecting your claim passes, start looking into hiring a work injury lawyer.

A work injury lawyer will help to ensure that the insurers pay you the benefits payments that you deserve for your work injuries, as well as the penalty payment that you’re owed.

3. Your Settlement Doesn’t Cover Your Medical Bills

One of the vital components of a settlement is that it covers all of your medical bills and expenses. Depending on the laws of the state you filed in, there are two different approaches to this.

The first settlement option is the right to get your benefit payments. You might also have the right to get payments in the future if additional medical treatment is required.

Your other option is to receive a payment in a lump sum that will cover your future treatments. By doing this, you forfeit the ability to demand that the insurer covers your future medical treatments.

The most important part of this is to ensure that whether you choose the benefits or the lump sum payment, you want to make sure you have enough money to cover whatever medical expenses you have.

The amount of money you receive needs to cover both your past medical treatments that resulted from the work injury as well as any future treatment you anticipate needing.

If the settlement that your employer and insurer offers seems too low, get the help of work injury lawyers. They’ll be able to give you an accurate estimate of the settlement that you need for the costs of your total treatment.

4. You Suffer From Partial or Total Disability

It is no secret that disability hampers a worker’s ability to earn a strong and steady income. The worse the disability becomes, the more difficult it becomes for a worker to make money.

Thankfully, states are strict when it comes to the enforcement of employers paying their workers for partial or total disabilities. This is especially true for workers who have a permanent disability from a work-related injury.

These bigger payments for permanent disabilities apply not only to workers who suffer total disability but also to those with a partial disability like losing a limb or fingers in an accident.

These expenses add up for a company and lead to them trying to pay less than what a worker deserves. Insurers also use the complexities of disability claims to find a way out of paying.

If this is happening to you, get in contact with a work injury lawyer. This is the best way to ensure that you get paid what you deserve.

5. Employer Strikes Back

A big fear of workers who sustain a work-related injury is that their employer will strike back at them. This makes up the majority of workplace discrimination cases in the United States.

The good news is that there are federal laws that are in place to protect you and your rights. Typical actions by the employer involve a demotion and a decrease in pay. It is also illegal for your employer to fire you for exercising your worker’s rights.

You have a right to file a worker’s compensation claim, and your boss and employer have no legal right to punish you for that. If you feel like your employer is committing any of these acts against you, get in touch with your work injury attorney as soon as possible.

Do You Need a Work Injury Lawyer?

Unfortunately, injuries happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re out and about or at work. When you sustain an injury at work, it is important to know your worker’s rights as well as when those rights are infringed upon.

If you feel like your rights are being infringed upon, get in contact with a work injury lawyer. They’ll ensure that you get all the benefits and payments that you’re entitled to, and protect you from retaliation by your employer.

For more great legal advice be sure to explore our blog for other helpful articles.