Workers’ compensation ranks as one of the most important worker rights. Every state has a workers’ compensation act, though the specifics of coverages required, qualifying injuries, and employers and employees covered may differ. For this reason, if you are injured on the job in the Tampa, Florida area, it is crucial to contact a personal injury attorney Tampa to advise you on your rights.
How being injured on the job affects employeesÂ
At the minimum, injured employees require medical treatment. This could be emergency room treatment. Less urgent injuries may be treated by a primary care doctor or specialist. Often, employees are forced to stay home while they recover. When they are able to return to work, they may have limitations. In serious cases, employees may miss months of work or become disabled. When this occurs, they frequently experience financial distress, loss of quality of life, and often irreparable damage to their careers.
Why workers’ compensation laws exist
Imagine breaking your back at work and being fired. Left without medical treatment and unable to work, your physical, financial, and emotional state would quickly deteriorate. Unless you had family or friends to help you and could find a way to get your back treated and healed, you could quickly find yourself broke and applying for welfare and food stamps.
No worker should ever suffer that type of abuse and indignity. People go to work to contribute to society and earn a living. The results of working should be positive. No one should ever suffer for having tried to earn an honest living.
In America, we recognize this. For that reason, Florida law requires all employers with 4 or more employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance compensates workers for all they lose as a result of a work injury. The purpose of the insurance is to make the injured worker whole.
Your rights when injuredÂ
When a worker suffers an injury on the job, they are entitled to worker’s compensation insurance benefits, regardless of fault. For workers’ compensation purposes, it doesn’t matter if you fell from a roof because you were clumsy, had poor balance, forgot to secure your ladder, or were in any other way at fault for your own injury. Likewise, it doesn’t matter if another employee was at fault, such as accidentally striking you with a forklift. The insurance pays you in full just the same.
The insurance covers all medical treatments, both short- and long term. This provides a significant help because the employee has no out-of-pocket expenses. Employees are also compensated for lost wages. For example, if a broken leg keeps you out of work for eight weeks, you receive full pay during that time. In cases where employees suffer debilitating injuries that cause permanent disability, they have the right to full compensation for lost wages throughout their working years.
Employees may also receive compensation for pain and suffering. This comes into play when an injury destroys the quality of an employee’s life. Other benefits, such as a home health aide, are available when needed.
Workers’ compensation claims must be filed within 30 days of the incident or 30 days of the employee becoming aware they became injured or ill as a result of work. Employees have many benefits available to them. Unfortunately, insurance companies sometimes try to delay or deny claims after workers suffer a job-related injury.
If you workers’ compensation claim has been unreasonably delayed or denied, don’t take it lying down. Contact a top personal injury attorney Tampa at Winters & Yonker.