We are dedicated to providing reliable and helpful legal representation to our Richton Park clients, and we’ll help you navigate the entire claims process. From filing the claim to following it through to seeking your benefits, we’ll make sure that you understand everything that needs to be done.
If you get hurt at work, you’ll generally have 45 days to report the incident, but it’s advisable to do so as early as you can. Once you’ve notified your employer, you may want to start looking for legal help.
Getting a workers’ compensation lawyer can mean the difference between getting the compensation you deserve and not getting it, so it’s in your best interest to hire legal representation. When you’re hurt on the job, don’t take any chances—contact a Richton Park work injury lawyer so that you can get the claims process started.
Types of the Most Common Workplace Injuries
When you’re hurt at work, it can change your life in an instant, so it’s important to act quickly. If you’re unsure about whether your injury will be eligible for benefits, a good starting point can be learning about some of the most common workplace injuries and comparing your own situation.
After all, plenty of work injuries may seem like they won’t be eligible for compensation when, actually, they are.
Some of the most common injuries that happen at the workplace include:
- Struck against an object: Injuries involving an object such as a window, door, wall, etc.
- Slips and falls: Injuries caused by slipping on wet, slippery, or uneven floors, or uncleared sidewalks in wintertime.
- Caught in/compressed by: These incidents usually involve heavy machinery and factory work.
- Fall to a lower level: Falling down stairs, off a roof, off a ladder, etc.
- Traffic incidents: Accidents that happen while using company vehicles.
- Overexertion: Perhaps the most common injuries, these involve pushing, pulling, holding, throwing, lifting, and carrying.
- Repetitive motion: Injuries sustained by repeating the same motion over and over again.
- Workplace assaults: When one or more workers are assaulted while on the job.
- Struck by an object: Injuries caused by dropped objects or falling objects.
What to Know About Workers Compensation Cases
A workers’ compensation attorney in Richton Park can help you navigate the entire process of filing a claim for your injury that happened at work, but to be completely informed, it’s to your benefit to learn more about the different parts of the claims process.
Knowing about things like the statute of limitations for your particular type of injury, what kind of paperwork you’ll need to keep on hand, and what sort of benefits you’re looking to receive is important.
Types of compensation can include lost wages, medical bill reimbursement, permanent injury, and more. If you’re not sure about any of these answers, a work injury attorney will be able to go over the details with you so that you are prepared.
The Claims Filing Process
Filing a workers’ compensation claim can be a complicated process, but with legal help, you can make things much simpler for yourself.
First, you’ll need to report the incident to your employer. This should be reported within seven days of its occurrence, and if you seek medical attention, be sure to inform staff that you have a workplace injury. Sometimes, workplace injuries dictate which doctors and facilities you have to patronize.
Next, an insurance carrier will open a benefits claim after receiving reports from your employer or doctors. The claim will be reviewed, and if found to be compensable, the insurance carrier will contact the injured person and the employer to discuss the rate of pay or benefits to be paid while the injured person recovers.
If the claim is, for some reason, denied, the injured party can appeal that decision.