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Types of Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries happen all the time, and under many different circumstances. Without the help of an attorney, it can be difficult to determine if your injury is eligible for a workers’ compensation claim, but a good starting point can be to learn about the most common workplace injuries and compare them to your situation.
Once you know more about the variety of injuries that can take place at work, you’ll have a better idea of how to proceed with your case. Many times, workers think their injuries won’t be eligible for making a claim, when in reality, their injuries are in fact eligible. These are some of the most common workplace injuries:
- Traffic accidents: Accidents and injuries that happen while using a company vehicle.
- Overexertion: Injuries caused by pushing, pulling, carrying, throwing, holding, or lifting. These are one of the most common workplace injuries.
- Slip and fall: Falling on a wet or slippery floor, an uneven floor surface, or an uncleared (of snow or ice) walkway during the winter.
- Fall to a lower level: Injuries sustained by falling off a ladder or roof or down stairs.
- Caught in/compressed by: These injuries occur in industrial settings and often involve heavy machinery.
- Workplace assaults: When one or more workers is assaulted while at work.
- Struck by object: When a workplace object such as door, window, wall, or something else injures a worker.
- Repetitive motion: Injuries sustained by repetitive work. This can include muscle strain that leads to injury or carpal tunnel.
Important Things to Know About Workers’ Compensation Cases
Once you’ve decided to file a claim for a work injury, a workers compensation lawyer can be of great help.
But although they can help, there are some things that you’ll want to be aware of as well, such as the statute of limitations for filing a claim, what kind of paperwork you’ll need on hand (medical records, incident reports, etc.), and what kind of compensation you should work towards—for instance, permanent injury, lost wages, or medical reimbursement.
If you want to know more about what to expect during the process of filing a claim, a workers compensation lawyer in Oak Forest can help.
The Process of Filing a Claim
Filing a work injury claim can be complicated, so when you’re ready to do so, getting help from an experienced work injury lawyer is important.
The first step in any claim is reporting the incident to your employer. This should be done as soon as possible—ideally immediately when the incident happens, but no later than seven days after the incident.
If you are seeking medical care, you must inform the medical providers that it is a work-related injury, in case that scenario requires you to only visit certain clinics or see certain doctors.
Next, after receiving reports from the doctor or employer, the insurance provider will open a claim for benefits. If the claim is compensable, the provider will contact both the employer and the injured party to determine that rate of pay that the injured employee will receive while out of work. If the claim is rejected, however, the injured person will be able to appeal that ruling.
About Vasilatos Injury Law
Vasilatos Injury Law serves all of Oak Forest, IL, as well as the entire Chicago area and all of Illinois. We are dedicated to providing our clients with the experienced work injury representation they need.
Our concentrations are workers compensation cases, personal injury, and social security disability, and we strive to be easily accessible and flexible. We provide phone, home, and hospital consultations, and we are easy to reach via public transportation—however, if you are unable to come to us, we’ll come to you.
When you need assistance with a work injury case in the 60443 area, contact Vasilatos Injury Law. We are ready and waiting to provide you with the legal assistance and guidance you need.
