Lawrence, MA Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Generally, there are two potential routes to compensation after a workplace accident. Some victims may be able to sue the parties responsible for their injuries. However, in most cases, injured employees will have to seek benefits through Workers’ Compensation.
Workers’ Compensation provides successful claimants with damages for medical expenses and lost income related to their on-the-job injuries. Unfortunately, some employers and insurance companies attempt to deny workers the payment they deserve. To prevent this, our attorneys can organize medical evidence confirming your injury, proving your eligibility for temporary total incapacity, partial incapacity, or permanent and total incapacity benefits.
Schedule a free case review with the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s Workers’ Compensation lawyers by calling (617) 925-6407 today.
Common Workplace Accidents in Lawrence, MA
There are many causes of workplace injuries in Lawrence, some of the most common being tree care accidents, slip and falls, construction site accidents, electrocutions, toxic chemical exposure, and vehicle collisions.
Tree Care Accidents
Many workers are hurt while trimming, felling, or pruning bushes and trees. For example, arborists can suffer devastating injuries when they are struck by falling objects, electrocuted, or made to fall from tall heights. The injuries caused by such accidents are often severe, including spinal cord injuries that might leave workers partially or fully paralyzed. In some cases, victims suffer fatal harm, and our Workers’ Compensation lawyers can offer support and guidance to those injured as the result of tree care accidents and their families.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are also a common cause of on-the-job injuries in Lawrence, particularly in office settings. Many dangerous conditions can lead to such accidents. For example, workers might slip and fall because of slippery floors, loose wiring, or dim lighting.
Employees who suffer slip and fall accidents at work can obtain Workers’ Compensation benefits regardless of who is at fault. However, suppose your accident occurred on another person’s property like the owner of the office building your employer rents out. In that case, you may also be able to seek damages through a third-party injury lawsuit. After suffering a slip and fall at work, you can contact our attorneys for help investigating the source of your accident and weighing your legal options.
Construction Site Accidents
Furthermore, a high number of workers are injured because of construction site accidents. Workers on construction sites regularly perform tasks with powerful tools, amongst heavy machinery, and from tall heights. Therefore, construction accidents have a high propensity to cause severe injuries. Construction workers who are hurt on the job can get in touch with our experienced Workers’ Compensation lawyers for help seeking the full range of payment available to them, which might include permanent and total incapacity benefits, depending on the severity of their injuries.
Electrocution Accidents
Electrocution accidents are another very common source of workplace injuries in Lawrence. These accidents can occur in a variety of different settings, from construction sites to manufacturing lines. Electricians, carpenters, roofers, truckers, painters, and others who work with heavy machinery are all types of workers who are likely to suffer electrocution accidents.
The injuries caused by electrocution accidents can be devastating. For instance, victims may suffer nerve damage, muscle depolarization, contact burns, thermal burns, or other internal electrical injuries. If you sustained an injury because of an electrocution accident at work, you may call our law firm for help obtaining financial compensation. If your injuries are permanently disfiguring, you may be eligible for extra compensation on top of your lost-wage and medical benefits.
Toxic Chemical Exposure
Also, many workers are hurt because of toxic chemical exposure. Various workers may be exposed to harmful chemicals during the course of their employment, from those in the agricultural to construction industries. After being exposed, victims may experience breathing issues, eye irritations, skin irritations, and skin discoloration. Further, over extended periods, toxic chemical exposure can lead to life-threatening illnesses like cancer. Victims of these accidents can obtain benefits through Workers’ Compensation insurance, potentially for the rest of their lives.
Vehicle Collisions
Lastly, vehicle collisions are a major source of workplace injuries. For example, a delivery driver may suffer a harmful crash while completing their daily route. Or, a worker on a construction site may sustain injuries because of an on-site accident involving a forklift. In any case, victims of workplace vehicle accidents can call our attorneys for help filing their claims and seeing them through.
What You Should Do After Being Hurt at Work in Lawrence, MA
There are specific steps you may take after a workplace accident that will enhance your chances of recovering benefits through Workers’ Compensation. These include informing your boss, seeking medical attention, recording your symptoms, and involving our attorneys.
Inform Your Boss
You should let your boss know that you suffered a harmful workplace accident as soon as possible. Even if you sustained an injury that seems minor, you should tell your employer right away. Injuries that do not appear serious at first can still lead to severe issues later on. Failing to notify your boss of your injury in a timely manner could inhibit your chances of recovering the payment you deserve, as the Workers’ Compensation carrier might question how you were hurt.
Seek Medical Attention
You should also seek medical attention right away after sustaining a workplace injury. Your employer and their insurance company may require you to see one of their preferred providers. Still, after seeing one of their doctors, you may continue receiving medical treatment from a physician of your choosing, and we can help locate the right doctors and specialists for you.
Furthermore, you should seek prompt medical attention because proper documentation of your injuries is necessary to obtain Workers’ Compensation benefits. Waiting to let your injuries heal on their own could keep you from collecting important damages, and a lack of medical records could make it harder to prove your injuries exist.
Record Your Symptoms
Additionally, you should record any symptoms you experience because of your workplace injury. It can be helpful to maintain a journal tracking the progress of your recovery. Doing so may assist our lawyers when fighting for the full range of benefits available in your claim.
Call Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
Finally, you should call our law firm quickly after being hurt on the job. There are certain strategies that employers and insurance companies can employ to deny workers’ claims, and our attorneys can help ensure you recover the damages you are owed.
Calculating Workers’ Compensation for Lost Wages in Lawrence, MA
The money you get from Workers’ Compensation for lost wages depends on the classification of your injury and disability. For example, hose who qualify for permanent and total incapacity benefits get for larger payments for longer compared to those who qualify for temporary total incapacity.
Temporary Total Incapacity Lost-Wage Benefits
If your injuries put you in the category for temporary total incapacity benefits, that means that you are totally unable to work after an accident, but you will likely heal. Your recovery is expected, whether in the coming weeks or months, but you need to cover your income for that period.
Lost wages for temporary total incapacity benefits equate to 60% of your gross average weekly wage, which our attorneys can calculate ahead of time. There is a cap for temporary total incapacity benefits, the State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW), and our lawyers can compare your average income to this amount, which changes annually.
The payment schedule for your temporary total incapacity benefits can be the same as your employer’s payment schedule so the transition is easier. Compensation for these recipients can last up until their condition improves or 156 weeks, whichever comes sooner.
Partial Incapacity Lost-Wage Benefits
Many workplace injuries leave workers partially incapacitated, still able to resume some on-the-job duties, but at lower earning levels. For example, a back strain might limit you to non-physically intensive tasks while still being able to assist peers in other ways. Whether your injury requires you to work fewer hours or take a lesser-paying job, your benefit would be 60% of the difference between your AWW before the injury and your weekly wage after the injury. This can get confusing, and our lawyers can ensure you get the maximum compensation for your reduced income while on partial incapacity benefits. In general, these payments can last up to 260 weeks in Lawrence, benefiting workers with hard-to-heal injuries.
Permanent and Total Incapacity Lost-Wage Benefits
Permanent and total incapacity benefits are for workers who suffer enduring injuries. This may include a paralyzing spinal cord injury that permanently affects a victim’s mobility or a traumatic brain injury that impairs their cognitive functions. To compute these lost-wage benefits under Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 152, § 34A, our attorneys will take two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to the SAWW. There is also a minimum weekly amount for permanent and total incapacity benefits in Massachusetts, benefiting those with lesser incomes who suffer long-lasting injuries. These Workers’ Compensation recipients also get cost-of-living adjustments as they collect benefits, which can last for the rest of their lives or as long as they are disabled.
Medical Expenses Covered by Workers’ Compensation in Lawrence, MA
While Workers’ Compensation pays lost-wage benefits based on the classification of a claimant’s disability and their previous income, it pays medical benefits based on a claimant’s proven medical damages.
Medical damages do not expire, nor are they capped. As long as you are recovering from a workplace injury or illness, your medical expenses should be entirely covered by Workers’ Compensation. In addition to being reimbursed for medical treatment, you may also be reimbursed for the cost of transportation and travel for care.
Workers’ Compensation carriers and employers can subject claimants to medical examinations by doctors of their choosing to confirm eligibility, according to § 45. They can do this from time to time even after approving claimants for benefits, and refusing these requests could lead to a rejection or loss of both lost-wage and medical benefits.
Extra Compensation for Specific Injuries in Lawrence, MA
On top of getting compensation for some of their lost wages and all their medical expenses, workers might receive additional one-time payments for specific injuries listed under § 36.
For example, amputation of your dominant arm in a construction accident could entitle you to an extra payment of 43 times the SAWW at the time of injury, while losing your non-dominate arm would entitle you to additional compensation of 39 times the SAWW. Bodily disfigurement can yield an additional $15,000 on top of your Workers’ Compensation payments, while total loss of sight in both eyes would warrant additional compensation of 96 times the SAWW.
Confirming your eligibility for specific injury damages is crucial so that you do not miss out on the potential thousands of extra dollars you could get from your employer’s carrier in addition to lost-wage and medical benefits.
If You Were Hurt at Work in Lawrence, MA, Our Law Firm Can Help
Call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s Workers’ Compensation lawyers at (617) 925-6407 for a free case assessment.
