3 Common Questions Answered About Worker's Compensation

If you were injured at your place of employment, you are most likely eligible for worker's compensation. However, worker's compensation can be a difficult event to parse through on your own. Throughout the course of this brief article, you'll have a few of the most common questions about worker's compensation answered.

Can You Sue Your Employer For An On-Site Injury?

There are few cases where you can successfully sue your employer for an on-site injury. In most cases, you will simply be able to file for worker's compensation and receive money for your injuries and time lost. However, there are certain cases where you might want to hire the services of a worker's compensation attorney. For example, if you are injured by a product that your employer manufactures and this injury occurred while you were on the clock, you can sue your employer. There are other cases that are a bit trickier. For example, if a fellow employee assaults you while you're on the clock, you can sue the employee in question and, if you believe that your employer had not adequately provided for your safety or was simply negligent in providing for your safety, you can lobby a personal injury suit against them.

What Injuries Are And Are Not Covered By Worker's Compensation?

Most injuries and illnesses are covered by worker's compensation, although the extent to which they are covered largely differs from state to state. It should be noted that any illness to which you succumbed or injury you sustained at your place of employment that was brought on by your own negligence or fault will not be covered by worker's compensation. Injuries that are generally not covered by worker's compensation include self-intoxication, any act of self harm (such as suicide attempts), personal injuries sustained due to an attack by a co-worker, and any injury that was sustained while breaking the law.

What About Muscle Strains and Motion Related Injuries?

Again, this varies from state to state, but in most cases, you can receive worker's compensation due to muscle strains and injuries sustained due to repetitive motions. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome is generally covered by worker's compensation, so long as it can be proven that the carpal tunnel syndrome was caused by a workplace injury.

Worker's compensation doesn't have to be a difficult issue to figure out. Hopefully, this brief article has given you an idea of how worker's compensation can work in your favor. Contact Hardee and Hardee LLP for more information on worker's compensation.