Palm Beach Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Workers Compensation Vs. A Personal Injury Claim
Workers’ compensation is available for nearly every construction worker. These benefits can be granted regardless of what happened or who caused the injury – this includes if you were at fault. Some of the benefits provided by your employer’s workers compensation insurance include lost wages and medical care.
What is not included is pain and suffering. These Non Economic Damages are related to your physical and emotional pain, loss of consortium, loss of the ability to enjoy life, and other losses that may have resulted from the injury, but are not easily calculable.
A personal injury claim includes both economic and non economic damages. It is often difficult to determine the full extent of your losses which is why you should have a good Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer trusts to investigate your case.
Can You File a Personal Injury Claim?
Just because you were injured in a construction accident does not mean you can file a personal injury claim. In order for this to be applicable you would need to be able to prove a third party caused you harm. This party would not include your employer or an employee. Although you might not realize it, as a Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer may explain, there are usually multiple third parties working at a construction site. Approximately 40-50 percent of injuries will involve some sort of negligence by a third party such as:
- A contractor
- Architech
- Engineer
- Site owner
- Property manager
- Equipment owner
- Equipment manufacturer
- Parts manufacturer
In a very small number of cases, a government entity will be found negligent. If this is true, it is essential you consult a Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible. Any claim that involves the government must follow strict rules and deadlines that vary from standard claims. If you do not adhere to these regulations, you can lose your ability to file.
Don’t Miss Your Opportunity to Recover
Regardless of what happened, or whether or not a third party caused you harm, there will be a deadline for filing a claim. Even in workers’ compensation cases, you are required by law to notify your employer of the accident and initiate the claims process within a certain period of time. In the case of a government agency being involved, you might have just 30 days to file.
To find out if you can file a personal injury claim, call a Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer right now.
Palm Beach Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Settlements
Receiving counsel from the workers’ compensation lawyers Palm Beach most trusts can be the difference between a comfortable recovery from an injury and meager compensation, or worse– no compensation at all. When your workers’ compensation insurance provider fails to give you the medical and lost wage benefits to which you are entitled, talk to your Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer about a settlement. Indeed, you would be wise to contact an attorney the minute you are injured at work, regardless of the circumstances, so you may fully understand your legal rights and options, and properly protect them. Often, you will find that a settlement is the least strenuous and most straightforward way to obtain what you deserve.
In a settlement, your Palm Beach workers’ compensation attorney’s goal is to obtain deserved compensation for you without involving you in the costly or time-consuming litigation of a lawsuit. A settlement is meant to provide an injured worker with an agreed payment, after which the injured worker will no longer seek further benefits through the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance provider.
Settlements can occur at any point during the claims process, but are usually discussed during mediation, where injured and insurance company attempt to reach an agreement. There is no hard-and-fast formula for deciding on an appropriate award for the injured workers’ settlement, but lost wages and medical costs are often taken into account, along with the need for future care and wages, mileage, medications, transportation and attendant care to name a few. Usually, your attorney and the workers’ compensation insurance provider will calculate their own idea of case value and negotiations go from there.
The settlement process can take significantly longer without the assistance of a qualified Palm Beach personal injury attorney. The insurance provider will almost certainly have competent legal representation, and without an experienced and knowledgeable attorney by your side, it may be difficult to fully understand what the insurance provider is truly giving you and asking of you in return. It is always wise to have an attorney look at any agreement before you sign it. Without an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in Palm Beach County, FL, it is very likely you will receive an insufficient settlement and sign away your right to pursue further compensation. Don’t make this mistake, contact our reputable workers’ compensation lawyers in Palm Beach, FL today and obtain the settlement you deserve.