Accidents happen. Too often, they happen at work. Some businesses and some industries are more inherently dangerous than others but, regardless of where you work, the result is painful and often frustrating.
A workplace injury can be caused by something as simple as repetitive motion or as unexpected as objects literally falling from the sky – as in a recent case in which a worker suffered a serious head injury when bricks struck him from 70 feet in the air. According to news reports, the man was working on the roof of a renovation project at the former Copley Hospital in Aurora when bricks and stonework from a nearby building came loose and fell, striking him in the head. According to Fire Department officials, the man suffered critical injuries.
Adding frustration to injury
Workers’ compensation laws exist to help you when you are the victim of a workplace injury, but the process is difficult and can often feel like it’s working against you. Employers and their insurance providers sometimes fail to honor a workers’ compensation claim, or they fail to provide the full amount in benefits that you deserve.
Understand your rights
The Illinois workers’ compensation system operates on a no-fault basis. When you’re injured at work, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits without having to prove that your employer did anything wrong. But insurance companies will use whatever loopholes they can to reduce your claim or deny it outright.
An experienced attorney can help you report your injury properly and within the time required by law. They can help you prove your injury is work-related. You should be reimbursed for you medical expenses and a portion of your pay, if you’re out of work for three or more days. Permanent injuries entitle you to compensation that a professional can help you obtain and, in the tragic event that an employee is killed on the job, their survivors are entitled to compensation as well.
Workers’ compensation laws are there to help you, the injured employee. But the process can be a minefield to navigate on your own. A knowledgeable lawyer will identify your best options and help to get you the compensation required by law.
