If you have been injured at work in Brookhaven, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These funds can pay the entire cost of your injury, but they are not always easy to get, which is why you need the help of a workers’ compensation lawyer in Brookhaven.
John Foy & Associates is one of the largest and most successful injury law firms in the country, and we have recovered over $1 billion for injured people like you. We start every case with a free consultation, and our Brookhaven personal injury lawyers never charge you a fee unless we win.
What Exactly Is Workers’ Compensation?
The workers’ compensation system is designed to help both injured workers and their employers in the following ways:
- It helps workers by allowing them to get compensation for their injuries without having to go through a long and expensive legal battle.
- It helps employers by covering the cost of worker injuries through insurance, instead of risking a jury verdict in the local courts that could ruin the company financially.
History of Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation has been around since ancient times, but it didn’t take hold in America until Upton Sinclair published his 1906 novel, The Jungle, which detailed the horrific working conditions in Chicago slaughterhouses. Back then, there were few safety protections, and injured workers faced huge legal hurdles if they wanted any compensation for their injuries.
People were outraged after the book came out. During the first half of the twentieth century, every state passed workers’ compensation laws requiring employers to pay employees for their injuries and lost pay.
Georgia law today requires employers in the state to carry workers’ compensation insurance.
What Do You Have to Prove in a Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Unlike a traditional lawsuit, where you must prove who was at fault before you can recover money, fault is irrelevant in a workers’ compensation claim. This means you do not have to blame your employer or accuse anyone of anything.
You do, however, have to have an injury that happened at work. If you were at your workplace when you were hurt, you have a claim, even if you were hurt because of something that didn’t have anything to do with your job duties.
What if I Was Injured Outside the Workplace?
Some injuries happen while you are performing work duties but not physically present at your employer’s place of business. These fall into a gray area, but you may be able to make a claim if you were injured in one of these situations:
- While working off-site, including while out of town
- While attending a meeting or event for work
- While traveling in a company vehicle
- While running an errand at your employer’s request
If you were injured during your morning or afternoon commute, you typically do not have a claim because you were not at work when the injury happened. However, if you arrived at work and were injured in your employer’s parking lot, you may be able to make a claim.
How Much Money Will I Receive in a Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Workers’ compensation claims are handled on a case-by-case basis, so the money you receive will depend on the injuries you have.
Workers’ compensation commonly covers all medical costs, medical bills, and paychecks you would have received if you had been able to go right back to work after your injury, often through partial wage replacement or wage replacement benefits.
Injured workers dealing with workplace injuries may also be eligible for medical benefits and medical treatment as outlined under Georgia law.
Compensation in Serious Cases
When workplace tragedies kill workers or leave them permanently disabled, workers and their families are entitled to additional large sums of money, including compensatory damages, economic damages, or non-economic damages.
We admit this is a poor substitute for the life you lost, but many people find that the money they receive through workers’ compensation insurance or a wrongful death action brings some comfort and relief.
Wrongful death lawyers and injury attorneys can also explore a third-party claim against a negligent party if a car accident, slip and fall, construction accident, or other personal injury contributed to the loss.
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Will My Employer Be Angry if I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim?
We have found that employers are usually quite supportive of their injured workers. Most employers are happy that workers’ compensation exists, because it means their employees can get the care and treatment they need.
The State Board of Workers’ Compensation oversees these cases using a wide range of statutes and rules. The board’s goal is to ensure that employees receive proper employee benefits and fair dispute resolution.
Role of Insurance Companies
Workers’ compensation is insurance, and your costs will be paid by the insurance company, not by your boss personally. We have far more issues with the insurance companies that issue workers’ compensation insurance policies.
Car accident lawyers, construction accident lawyers, and other injury attorneys know that legal issues often arise when insurers deny medical expenses or medical costs.
Challenges With the Claims Process
Although workers’ compensation is supposed to help you get the money you need quickly, insurance companies may drag their feet, try to minimize your injuries, or even send you to doctors who are more interested in helping the insurance company save money than in getting you proper medical care.
Delays may also affect your ability to return to work within the statute of limitations in Georgia.
A Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Brookhaven Can Help
This is why it’s so important to talk to a personal injury lawyer if you have been injured at work. Our legal team will refer you to the right kind of doctors to evaluate your injuries, provide legal advice, and tell you the kind of treatment you will need.
An injury report, supported by medical records and medical evidence, is vital to your case. We are old hands at dealing with insurance companies, and we will build the strongest claim possible to get the insurance company to pay you every penny you deserve to cover medical care, medical expenses, and lost wages.
John Foy & Associates has the experience, wrongful death lawyers, and construction accident lawyers to guide injured workers through complicated legal issues, pursue dispute resolution, and fight for full benefits.
Contact John Foy & Associates to Speak With a Brookhaven Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in a workplace accident, don’t wait to get in touch with our workers’ compensation lawyers in Brookhaven. At John Foy & Associates, we have focused exclusively on helping injured people ever since our founding more than 20 years ago.
We know how to get you money in your workers’ compensation claim, and we’d like to give you a free consultation to talk about your claim and explain what we do. For more information, visit our FAQ page.
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