6 Workers Compensation Facts You Need to Know
You have pain that started while on the job. You’re certain — or at least strongly suspect — that you might be eligible for a worker’s compensation claim. You mention it to a friend, and suddenly, you’re being regaled with all kinds of “me too” or “a friend of mine” stories and advice. While well-intentioned, keep in mind that you may be hearing more myth than workers’ compensation facts.
So, what’s the truth? Following are six, okay, 5-1/2 workers compensation facts you should know.
Workers Compensation Facts
- Work-related injuries don’t always occur at the worksite. A trip and fall on a construction site, a repetitive stress injury at an office workstation, or an accident on a factory floor are locations most people think of when it comes to workers’ compensation claims. However, a significant number of injuries occur in car crashes as employees travel for their jobs.
- Illnesses, not accidents, account for hundreds of deaths each year. An illness could afflict a worker in a healthcare setting, a factory worker in an industrial setting, or a construction worker exposed to the elements.
- Employees of medium-sized companies file more workers compensation claims than those who work for small or large companies. Why? Workers for small firms may assume (or are told) the company is too small to carry coverage; larger corporations tend to have the resources to invest in employee training to minimize accidents and injuries.
- Workers’ compensation laws vary by state. Therefore, it’s important to study and be aware of details like filing deadlines and statutes of limitations — and to take your out-of-state brother-in-law’s advice with a grain of salt.
- Workers’ compensation claims can cross state lines. If a company is based in one state but an employee is injured on a work-related task in another, the employee may be able to file claims in both states.
- Every worker’s compensation claim requires an attorney. Well, strictly speaking, this isn’t a fact, but a particularly complicated case (see above re multi-state claims) or a severe injury that impacts a worker’s physical and/or cognitive capacity will certainly benefit from an attorney’s assistance.
CONTACT AN ATTORNEY EXPERIENCED IN WORK-RELATED INJURIES
Contact the Law Offices of Pat Maloney today to find out if your workers’ compensation claim needs the expertise of a qualified attorney.
Pat Maloney, Jr. is a skilled San Antonio personal injury lawyer who has acted as lead counsel and co-counsel in many multi-million dollar verdicts throughout Texas. Pat Maloney represents people injured in car accidents, truck accidents, construction accidents and more. He is well known for his expertise in representing victims of serious personal injuries and has participated as a lecturer in the field of personal injury litigation. He has been named as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” Reference Book every year for the last five years.