Workers Injured on the Job
Employees can be injured on the job, and when this happens, the worker can claim benefits under the Georgia workers’ compensation laws. The law permits workers who are injured on the job to make a claim for compensation for any work-related injury. This applies to all employees working for an employer in Georgia. A worker can even apply for these benefits if the person is injured while working on the first day of the job!
What Does a Workers’ Compensation Attorney Do?
A workers’ compensation attorney is responsible for representing the employee, or claimant, against the employer, to help the worker recover or be compensated for all work-related injuries and losses on the job. Many laws are specifically related to the allowance of being reimbursed or compensated for your injury under workers’ compensation laws. Therefore, you will want to secure the advice of an experienced attorney when you have had a work-related accident that results in an injury or disability.
Covered Job-Related Injuries in Georgia
In Georgia, job-related injuries include any illness or a death claim if it arose from the course of employment. This means that a covered injury will include an injured person while performing an assigned or delegated duty or job responsibility or task during work hours. The key here is that the person must be injured while working for the company or organization during work hours. In this case, the employees know when they are working “on the clock” or after hours (otherwise off the clock). If an employee is injured off the clock or outside of work hours, then the workers’ compensation recoveries will not apply. For example, an employee who is late to work and injured while rushing to work to catch a train is not covered under workers’ compensation in that situation.
Reporting a Workers’ Compensation Claim
When an employee is injured on the job, the individual should report the injury to the employer right away. The employer will then launch an investigation regarding the nature of the injury, how it occurred, and determine if the employer was at fault for any aspect of the injury. Some job injuries can vary in severity depending on the individual, and often a worker is to blame for sustaining an injury on the job. Common injuries where the worker may be to blame are:
- Horseplay around equipment
- Actions of a third party
- Fighting among workers
- Alcohol abuse on the job
- Use of drugs while at work
- Avoiding proper protocols or procedures in the workplace
How a Workers Compensation Attorney Can Help
A workers’ compensation attorney will manage your case and keep all parties updated with the data and review the individual rights necessary to resolve your case. The CEO Lawyer attorneys will follow up on obtaining medical reports and will call you to advise you on all updates on the case as they occur. You will have peace of mind to know that our legal team is working for you behind the scenes around the clock. We will call you with any updates and inform you of the current status of your claim.
We Handle Every Aspect of Your Workers’ Compensation Claim
Our law firm specializes in the recovery of workers’ compensation claims. We will write all necessary correspondence to your employer, workers’ compensation insurance company, or medical doctors on your behalf. In addition, we will help you during the investigation of your claim to answer any questions you might have regarding the review process.
An employee can be injured on the job due to haste, inattentiveness, rushing, or going too fast to complete an assigned task or duty. If an injury results from this type of behavior, such as ignoring a safety rule to complete an assigned task quicker, the employee may still be covered under workers’ compensation programs. When this is the outcome, even though the employee may be covered under workers’ compensation, the individual may be disciplined, put on leave, placed on probation, or otherwise punished for not following the company’s stated safety rules and procedures for the job.
Workers’ Compensation is an Exclusive Remedy
Employees injured on the job can be reimbursed for their injuries with workers’ compensation recoveries. However, it is important to understand that an employee will receive only workers’ compensation as the remedy for an accident or injury on the job. The worker will not receive any other money damages from the company for losses related to an injury sustained by an employee at work.
Third-Party Negligence Results in Injuries on the Job
A special case can arise when a worker is injured due to negligence from a third party who is a coworker where an employee is injured on the job. Here, the injured employee may have legal action against the negligent person or whose negligence caused an injury to another person.
If there is a lawsuit and the injured employee wins a compensation settlement, the employer may be reimbursed too out of that settlement money. This is because if a coworker is at fault for an employee’s injury at work, and the company paid workers’ compensation attorney, the company will be able to offset or subrogate the money paid out in the injured employee’s workers’ compensation claim. These cases can be complicated, and you’ll want an experienced workers’ compensation attorney on your side.
Contact us or give us a call at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm if you have been injured at work and need to file a workers’ compensation claim. Our team of injury and accident attorneys is highly qualified to manage your workers’ compensation case from start to finish. We are here for you, and you can call today for the peace of mind you deserve when you have suffered an injury on the job and need to file a workers’ compensation claim.
