Year after year, workers in the State of Illinois find themselves blindsided when they get hurt while working. Some are employed in industries that have danger readily present, including those in the construction industry, those working an assembly line position, and those who deal with heavy machinery. Others are employed in industries where threats may be less obvious like office jobs, sales positions, or even telemarketers.
The type of job that you work does not affect whether you have rights if you are involved in a work injury. Rather, the laws in the Chicago area are clear: if you are on-the-job and performing your duties, you have the right to seek relief for the harm done to you. This means you can get the medical treatment you need to become well again and have that treatment paid for by your employer. It also means that you are entitled to be paid for time you miss from work due to your injuries including the time you miss during a recovery period. You also may be entitled to a bodily injury settlement to address the totality of your damages once your injuries and harm have been ascertained.
These workers’ compensation claims are possible regardless of fault, meaning that employees should not hesitate or question whether their actions contributed to an accident. Rather, simply speaking with a personal injury attorney can illuminate your options and help you realize whether you have a valid claim related to your on-the-job accident.
Regularly, workers are lulled into a sense of security by an employer or an insurance company representing their employer so that a victim believes her interests will be both protected and represented in an injury claim. However, this is rarely the case as companies, corporations, and employers put their own interests first and helping their injured workers are rarely in the best interests of an employer. Instead, paying out as little as possible, denying as much medical treatment as possible, and making a claim difficult for a victim to bring suit the interests of an employer and an insurer and therefore these are the activities that a personal injury attorney sees when a victim tries to represent herself.
If you were injured or if someone you love was hurt or killed, the right to obtain help is yours. Your employer cannot deny your ability to seek relief or claim that the fault for an accident or injury belongs on your shoulders. Further, an employer cannot deny your right to work with a workers’ compensation attorney of your choice who will help you fight for the totality of your damages and not just those that your employer is willing to address.
These claims are possible but do not remain available forever. Victims have to act within a time period specified by law, known as a statute of limitations, or they will be barred from obtaining help forever. If you were involved in an accident, make sure you act appropriately and timely so that you can get the relief you and your family need.
Prior Blog Entry:
Chicago Motorcyclist at risk for Accidents while Merging, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published August 8, 2016.