truck driver neglect - injured in an accident

If you were injured at work, there are a few systems and compensation opportunities available. Workers compensation can be put into action if no one is found at fault or if an investigation will take too long, and personal injury claims can help workers get compensation from specific parties if negligence or malice can be proven. Before signing any agreement for any compensation system, consider a few scenarios to understand the wide field of options available after workplace injury.

Workers Compensation Has Exceptions For Your Benefit

The standard workers compensation package is designed to cover all of your medical bills related to the injury while providing a percentage of your paycheck. For some injuries, this is a slightly painful or inconvenient vacation, but for people in financially dire straits, it can be a nightmare.

It doesn't have to be.

Many workers barely make ends meet when they're injured at work, and a cut in pay for any reason--regardless of the time off--can lead to increased debt or homelessness. This unfortunately happens because these workers don't bring up their troubles with the compensation system or an attorney.

Workers compensation has provisional funds available for financial hardship, allowing you to get your full pay if you can prove a financial need. In some cases, your utility bills and food costs can be covered by social services such as supplemental nutrition, electronic benefits (food stamps), the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department, and many others.

Part of the problem with finding these benefits is knowing that they exist and filing paperwork to find out if you're eligible. Workers compensation puts you in the fast track for these benefits, and an attorney can help you expedite the process if you don't know where to start in your state.

Personal Injury Claims

Was your injury caused by a coworker, your employer, a vendor, or someone completely unrelated to the company? If it wasn't a perfect accident, you need to prove either negligence or malice to make a personal injury claim successful.

Personal injury compensation is a process that goes to individual parties instead of being covered by a program such as workers compensation. This is especially necessary if your injury leads to a disability that workers compensation can't help with in a short amount of time, or if temporary total disability (TTD) won't be enough.

Your legal opponent has to be able to pay for personal injury claims to be worth it in many cases. It's worth exploring even if your employer may be on the line, as investigating the situation can lead to even better opportunities. 

For example, consider a situation where the employer is ultimately responsible for employee safety. They provide safety equipment such as goggles, gloves, guard rails, or other items from a specific vendor. If those products fail, you and your employer may need to challenge the product vendor--and your employer may be there as a backup if the vendor situation falls through.

Employers aren't left out in these considerations. Specific vendors and workplace situations can often be linked to a product or service failure, so cooperation between employer and employee--despite the pressure--can yield high compensation results with an attorney to connect the dots.

Contact a team of work injury attorneys, like Trammell and Mills Law Firm LLC, to discuss your compensation options.