Did you know that there are more than 7 million injuries in the workplace each year?
Every job has occupational hazards, even if most of your day is sitting behind a desk. Slippery surfaces, dangerous machinery, or even a broken chair leg can lead to a serious injury.
The days following a workplace accident are also incredibly stressful. You might be wondering when and if you’ll be able to go back to work, how you will cope with medical bills, and how you can protect yourself from retaliation from your boss.
At Wood Injury Law, our work injury lawyer in Mesa, Arizona, will provide personalized legal representation and is committed to being your advocate if you’ve sustained a workplace injury. To explore your options and plan your next steps, call us at (623) 232-9355 to schedule your free consultation.
Why Workers’ Compensation May Not Be an Option
Most people assume that they can file a worker’s compensation claim and receive benefits if they get injured in the workplace. However, this is not always the case, and at Wood Injury Law, we help injured workers seeking recovery and financial compensation outside the workers’ comp claims.
There are a couple of reasons why this situation could occur:
- Your employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance. Most employers in Arizona are required by law to carry workers’ compensation insurance, even if they only have one employee. You might feel your options are limited if you sustain an injury while at work and learn that your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance. But this isn’t always the case. Hiring a skilled Arizona workers’ injury lawyer is crucial in this situation.
- A third party was responsible for your injury. If someone outside of your organization caused your injury, you could have a third-party liability claim.
Third-Party Liability Claims
Third-party liability claims potentially allow an injured worker to collect a larger payout than a traditional workers’ compensation claim. This is primarily because workers’ compensation in Arizona is a no-fault system, whereas a third-party liability claim will argue that a person or company acted negligently.
Depending on the third party’s degree of negligence and the resulting damages, the financial compensation can be substantially larger than what someone would get through filing a workers’ comp claim.
Common third-party work-related injuries include:
- Car Accidents. If you’re struck by another driver during your commute, while running an errand, or during your regular duties (for example, you drive a bus for a living), the negligent driver could be liable.
- Premises Liability. If your job involves going to people’s homes or businesses, injuries that result from a hazardous condition could fall under the premises liability umbrella and warrant a claim. Examples include dog bite injuries, tripping or falling on an obstacle that the owner had a duty to remove or warn you about, or faulty stairs that lead to an injury.
- Defective Product Liability. A product could have a faulty design, a manufacturing defect, or an inadequate warning. If any of these factors lead to an injury, the manufacturer (and potentially other companies in the stream of commerce) could be on the hook for paying your medical bills and more.
- Toxic Exposure. Often, we think of asbestos exposure here, but other toxic materials that could lead to injury include lead, mercury, and noxious fumes. The manufacturer of the material or the builder could be liable in this situation.
Types of Compensation Available for Arizona Workplace Injuries
Getting injured in the workplace can be devastating to both your health and your pocketbook. Work injury lawyers will examine the facts of your case and determine the most appropriate categories that could warrant compensation. Every situation is different, but you may be eligible to recover for the following:
- Lost wages
- Lost future earnings
- Retraining or re-education expenses
- Medical treatment
- Ongoing medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Punitive damages
- Wrongful death
When to Consult with a Workplace Injury Attorney
In general, it’s best to contact a workplace injury lawyer as soon as possible. We recommend prompt action because the sooner you act, the sooner we can act. There will be deadlines for filing specific claims, and there are often best practices we will recommend to preserve evidence and protect your claim.
Injured workers often worry about the expense of hiring an attorney, especially if they are out of work and medical bills are piling up. The good news is that we work on a contingency basis. You don’t have to pay anything until your case is settled. We can also work with your doctors to delay payment of medical bills until you receive compensation.
Get Help from a Skilled Workplace Injury Law Firm in Arizona
Our motto here at Wood Injury Law is that we’re lawyers you’ll swear by, not at. We aim to help you receive just compensation for your personal or workplace injuries. Josh Wood is an experienced workplace injury attorney who previously worked as an insurance defense lawyer. He knows how the system works on the other side of the aisle and will fight for your rights.
Wood Injury Law serves clients in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Mesa, Arizona. Call us at (623) 232-9355 or fill out our online form to schedule your free consultation with our experienced workers’ injury lawyer.
Copyright © 2022. Wood Injury Law. All rights reserved.
The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
Wood Injury Law
1845 S Dobson Rd, Suite 117
Mesa, AZ 85202
(623) 232-9355
www.woodinjurylaw.com
