Work Injury Lawyers

What Are Some Different Types Of Work Injuries?

Workplace injuries can be caused by many types of equipment malfunctions or other safety failures due to negligence of employers, contractors, business owners or fellow workers.

As for what are some different types of work injuries, one extremely serious work injury is amputation of a finger, hand, arm, toe, foot or leg. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, as many as 10,000 American workers yearly are victims of an amputation injury.

Other severe workplace injuries can include TBIs, or traumatic brain injuries, as well as spinal cord injuries, which can even result in paralysis. Such injuries often are permanent and life-changing, which makes their costs far greater.

Workers also may suffer a variety of other workplace injuries, including crushed or mangled limbs, broken bones, burns, electrical shocks, falls and even benzene exposure, which can cause cancers such as leukemia and can be life-threatening.

Construction Injuries Are The Most Common Type of Work Injury

Workers in the construction and industrial arenas are more likely to suffer debilitating injuries, and construction injuries are alarmingly common for Hispanic workers.

Indeed, more and more Hispanic workers are being injured and killed on the job, even though worker deaths overall have dropped, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As it reports, though America’s worker deaths declined by 8 percent during a recent 15-year period, in that same time Hispanic worker deaths increased by almost 80 percent.

Most vulnerable are young Hispanic immigrant workers for small construction companies, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).

The majority of Hispanic-related deaths and injuries at work are due to the fact that their employers failed to train their workers properly. Such negligence by employers can lead to a favorable settlement or a workplace injury lawsuit provided by our law firm.

Did Another Company’s Negligence Cause Your Injuries?

Was your injury caused by someone on your jobsite not employed by your company, such as an outside contractor? Were you hurt while using a defective product in your workplace?

If so, you may have a third-party claim, and we can help. Third party claims are separate from workers’ compensation claims. You cannot sue your employer or co-worker for causing your illness or injury – you can only file for workers’ compensation. However, if your injury was caused by someone other than your employer or co-worker, you may have a third party claim.

Third party claims are complex and involve different types of law including workers’ compensation and personal injury. Our law firm has experienced attorneys in both practice areas who are ready to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Call our legal professionals if you have been in an industrial or work place accident involving a third party. It’s important to contact us as soon as possible after an accident, because the third party will act quickly to prove that they were not at fault. We will send investigators to recover the evidence before it’s destroyed, dismantled, or otherwise disappears.

How Do I Start A Third-Party Injury Claim?

Employees injured while on the job are entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits to cover their medical bills and lost income.

Unfortunately, as helpful as these benefits can be, there is no provision to compensate workers for their emotional trauma, loss of independence, or pain and suffering.

However, if an employee’s injuries were caused by the negligence of a third party, he or she may be entitled to collect these damages with a third-party claim or lawsuit. That’s why it’s so important to make a third party claim.

Grounds For A Third-Party Lawsuit

An employee injured by a third party can typically file both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate third-party claim or lawsuit against those responsible for his or her injuries. Workers’ compensation claims are no-fault—meaning a worker is not required to prove his employer was negligent to receive benefits. On the other hand, recovering damages via a third-party claim or lawsuit requires the injured worker to provide evidence of the third party’s negligence. To do so, he or she must demonstrate the third party created the circumstances that caused his or her injuries and otherwise, he or she would not have been hurt.

Receiving Compensation

If you were injured in an accident caused by a third party, you must act quickly to protect your right to compensation.

In Texas, the statute of limitations is just two years from the date of employee’s injury. However, you should take immediate action after your injury and not wait. Your case must be filed in the appropriate Texas court, and comply with numerous legal requirements to be considered valid.

Third party claims are complicated, and they require the knowledge of an experienced personal injury attorney. To get more information, contact us today or call us now using the button below.

What are Workers’ Comp Laws?

Workers’ comp laws in Texas provide benefits as part of an insurance program that’s managed by the state’s Texas Department of Insurance.

This workers’ comp program provides medical benefits and pay to workers who suffer injury or illness due to work. But it also protects employers from civil lawsuits brought by injured workers.

“Can I sue my employer for an injury?,” you may ask. If your employer has workers’ comp insurance in Texas, you cannot. That can be a problem if your workers’ comp benefits alone aren’t enough to pay for your injury costs.

And this is part of a bigger problem: Since workers’ comp laws first were enacted nationwide in 1917, Texas has been a business-friendly state — at the expense of hard-working Texans.

In fact, Texas is the only state in the nation which allows employers to choose whether or not to provide workers’ compensation insurance. Thus, not all employers in Texas provide workers’ comp insurance, although most do. Employers who don’t provide workers’ comp could, in fact, face a work injury lawsuit.

So to answer your question, “Do I get paid if I’m injured at work?,” that depends on if your employer has workers’ compensation coverage, or if you have grounds for a lawsuit when an employer does not. It also depends on if you could file a third-party lawsuit against a contractor or someone other than your employer.

Can A Lawyer Help Me If My Employer Has Workers Comp?

You may be asking, “Can a lawyer help me even if my employer has workers’ comp?” The answer is: Yes.

While you aren’t required to have an attorney represent you in a Texas workers’ comp claim, you are advised to engage one. And keep in mind that Texas law puts a cap or limit on fees an attorney can charge to represent you in a workers’ comp claim.

Your workers’ comp attorney can help you in many ways, such as ensuring that you meet all deadlines.

How long do you have to sue or make a workers’ comp claim after a work injury? You have just 30 days from the date of your injury or diagnosis of your work illness to notify your employer. In terms of deadlines, if your workers’ comp claim is denied, you also must meet deadlines for an appeal.

Your workers’ comp lawyer also can determine if you should sue a third party for your work injury. Though you cannot sue a Texas employer who has workers’ comp insurance, you can sue contractors, parts suppliers, transportation providers and other third parties whose negligence contributed to your injury on the job.

Your Texas attorney for workers’ comp can fight to gain all payments possible for you. Having an attorney can be vital if your employer disputes the severity of your injury, what medical treatments are covered, your impairment rating, when you should return to work and what your overall benefits should be.

Your workers’ comp lawyer also can fight for you on appeal if your claim is denied, via many stages of dispute resolution.

Different Kinds of Workers’ Comp Benefits

Workers’ compensation coverage comes with four different kinds of benefits: income, medical, death and burial.

Income benefits provide part of the wages that a worker loses due to a work-related injury or illness. They also pay for permanent impairment to a worker’s body.

Medical benefits provide payments for reasonable and necessary medical care to treat a work injury or illness.

Death benefits replace part of the missing income for eligible family members of workers who are killed at work.

Burial benefits pay for some of the deceased worker’s funeral costs.

Can you also seek workers compensation benefits for pain and suffering? The answer is no – not from workers’ comp. But if you are able to file a work injury lawsuit, payments for pain and suffering can be included in that claim.

Can You Be Terminated While On Workers Compensation?

As for whether you can get fired or lose your job after making a workers’ compensation claim, Texas law says no. According to Texas Labor Code Chapter 451, employers cannot retaliate against an employee for his or her workers’ comp claim.

However, termination of an employee receiving workers’ comp is legal if it’s based on misconduct unrelated to the workers’ comp claim.

Our work injury attorneys will fight for you.

As you can see, it can be vital that you get a Texas work injury lawyer to handle your case. Jim Adler & Associates stands ready to guide you through the legal process and help you claim the maximum benefits to which you and your family are legally entitled.

Contact an experienced work injury attorney with our law firm today. We will quickly provide you with a free legal review of your case. Then, if you choose, we can get started helping you claim the work injury benefits that you need and deserve.

If you were injured in a workplace accident as a result of the negligence of others, call our office for a free consultation at 1-800-505-1414 or fill out our free case evaluation form.