PA & NJ WORKPLACE ACCIDENT LAWYERS
You expect--and deserve--a safe place to work. When you or a family member is injured or dies while on the job, you may have legal recourse to recover substantial monetary compensation for damages, including for medical treatment expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
According to the US Department of Labor, there are well over 4,000 tragic workplace fatalities every year in this country, and many thousands more injuries on unsafe job sites. Far too many of those fatalities and injuries will have been preventable. When a worker suffers an accident as a result of reckless or negligent behavior, there are a number of legal avenues to pursue in order to obtain justice against the culprits and recover financial compensation.
More than four thousand American workers are killed in workplace accidents every year.
Roads to Recovery for Workplace Accidents
You might have been told that the only way to recover for a workplace accident is through worker’s compensation. Not true. In fact, depending on the circumstances of a workplace injury, there may be numerous roads to recovery outside the confines of worker’s compensation.
But let’s take worker’s compensation first. Worker’s compensation claims generally apply to situations in which a worker suffers injury due to the negligence of an employer or a co-worker. While these claims can and do often result in awards for damages, disability payments are often low and do not provide for pain and suffering or punitive damages,
Now let’s look at some exceptions which may yield more substantial awards for damages.
Exceptions to Worker’s Compensation
Workers injured by defective machinery or products
-If a worker has been injured by a dangerous product or piece of equipment, he or she may be able to pursue litigation under product liability laws (see our page on Product Liability here)
Workers injured in a motor vehicle accident
-If a worker has been injured while driving, he or she may be able to sue those who caused the collision.
Workers injured on a construction site
-State laws typically impose a non-delegable duty on general contractors to uphold safety standards on jobsites. In some of cases, workers may bring action against parties other than the employer.
Workers injured by a toxic substance
-If a worker has been injured by exposure to a toxic or poisonous substance, he or she may sue the manufacturers of the toxic substance.
Workers injured by a third-party
-If a worker has been injured by a party other than their employer, he or she may bring a personal injury lawsuit against the third-party.
Disability Benefits in Workplace Accidents
Besides worker’s compensation and the exceptional actions described above, injured workers who find themselves disabled and/or unable to work may also seek additional remedies from government programs such as Social Security disability insurance (SSDI or SSI).
PA & NJ Workplace Accident Attorneys
The workplace accidents lawyers at Green & Schafle understand what a major calamity an injury at work can be. There are your medical treatment costs to consider, loss of employment, pain and suffering... We want to help. You can count on us to use our skills and experience to advocate for you and seek maximum recovery of your damages.
If you or anyone you know has been the victim of a workplace accident, please contact our attorneys immediately for a free consultation toll-free at 1-855-462-3330 or by using our online contact form.
