At least a half-million people in California are injured or made ill by work-related causes each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Sometimes workers incur serious injuries that cause them to be off work for weeks or even months at a time. In other cases, permanent disabilities result, and workers never re-enter the workforce again. If you have been injured at work, reach out to the on the job accident attorney at Koszdin, Fields & Sherry for help. Our experienced team can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Injured workers may qualify for several types of compensation depending on the circumstances surrounding the injury. If you are a family member—spouse, child, parent, or another relative—of a California worker who died as a result of their workplace injury or illness, you have a right to seek compensation for your losses.
Common Causes for On-the-Job Accidents
There are dozens if not hundreds of ways that workers can become injured on the job. According to Safe At Work California, there are three million injured workers across the U.S. each year, which is around six injured workers per minute, 350 per hour, and 8,000 per day. When workers are hurt at work, the most common injuries reported include:
- Back injuries, usually due to improper posture and overexertion when workers lift or bend.
- Falls, either from a height such as when using a ladder or from a slip or trip, typically on an injured surface.
- Struck-by accidents. Serious accidents can occur when workers are struck by objects that fall due to unstable loads, dropped tools, falling objects, or flying debris, among other things.
- Caught-and-crush injuries involving machinery. Moving machinery can be a recipe for disaster when improper practices and safeguards are used.
Although injuries can occur across any industry, some of the most common workplace injuries include agriculture, construction, health care, manufacturing, services industry, and transportation.
Third-Party Claims for Workplace Accidents
Workers’ compensation benefits often do not provide enough coverage and financial assistance to employees injured on the job. California recently passed legislation that restricts the types of benefits available to injured workers. Luckily, in many situations, workers’ compensation is not the only available remedy for a workplace injury.
Deciding to pursue a third-party claim can aid the injured worker by providing additional compensation. These lawsuits should be filed alongside a workers’ compensation claim. In cases involving serious injuries, a third-party lawsuit can result in greater monetary damages than the benefits that would be received from the workers’ compensation system. An injured employee may be entitled to recover the following from a third party:
- Past, future, and ongoing medical expenses
- Loss earnings
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
These damages would not be covered by most workers’ compensation claims.
Workers’ Compensation
Employees who have been injured on the job may be entitled to workers’ compensation. The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) in California oversees the administration of workers’ compensation claims and provides legal services to assist in resolving disputes that arise in connection to claims involving workers’ compensation benefits.
Receiving benefit through worker’s compensation is to give an injured worker financial assistance for:
- Medical treatment needed to recover from a work-related injury or illness
- Replace wages lost while recovering (generally, only partial wages)
- Helping an injured employee return to work.
Workers’ compensation benefits will never include compensation for pain and suffering or punitive damages. To receive compensation for pain and suffering or punitive damages you will need to file a lawsuit against the responsible party.
Contacting an On-the-Job Accident Attorney
Our legal team at Koszdin, Fields & Sherry welcome all workplace injury and illness claims. We have experience handling all workplace accident claims, from back injuries and accidents in the workplace due to repetitive motion injuries, mental stress claims, and side effects of work injuries. In addition, our caring and compassionate Palmdale on-the-job accident attorneys can help you seek Social Security disability benefits if you are permanently disabled due to an accident, injury, or illness in your workplace.
We encourage you to reach out to our Palmdale on-the-job accident attorneys as early as you can in the process. We can still represent your claim if it is denied or delayed. It is important to have proper representation by your side after a workplace accident.
For a free consultation with our Palmdale on-the-job accident attorneys, call 818-812-5639 or 800-747-3447 or contact us online. Our staff is bilingual, and we can arrange interpreters for other languages. You pay no fees unless we win your case.
