When Should you Hire a Lawyer if You’ve Been Injured at Work?

If you’ve been injured on the job, the workers’ compensation laws entitle you to certain benefits from the pain and suffering due to your job injury, as well as the income loss and medical expenses. In this article, we’ll discuss in detail when it’s best to hire a lawyer if you’ve been injured at work and whether it’s worth hiring one. If you’ve suffered work-related injuries due to your employer’s negligence, talk to our experienced Paducah work injury lawyers to get legal help on getting your compensation insurance. 

When Do You Need a Workers Compensation Attorney?

The design of the worker’s compensation system makes it relatively easy for workers injured on the job to claim for their work-related injury. If it’s a straightforward compensation claim, you can probably obtain your compensation alone. Sadly, not all injury claims are that easy. The insurance company or your employer may dispute your injury claim, making it difficult for you to get compensation for medical bills and lost wages. In these cases, a worker’s compensation lawyer will be an immense help. 

Here are instances when you’d need the services of an injury attorney:

You’ll go to a workers’ comp hearing

If you and the insurance company can’t settle on an amount, you’ll have to prove your case at a hearing. You’ll need a work injury lawyer as legal representation. 

You have other government benefits

Your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits may be lowered if you start receiving workers’ compensation benefits, too. If you’re eligible for Medicare, a portion of your workers’ comp benefits may be allocated for medical treatment in the future.

A lawyer practicing injury law can minimize this reduction in your SSDI benefits and make sure the allocation of your benefits is fair for you. 

You can’t return to work anymore

If your workplace injury results in you being unable to work, then your workers’ compensation benefits should last you for the foreseeable future.  If your workplace injuries result in a change of career, that presents its challenges as well. A lawyer can help you maximize your benefits and obtain training for your new line of work.

You have problems getting your medical treatment

Insurance companies usually deny or delay the approval of expensive treatments for your job injuries. A lawyer can pressure these companies to approve your treatments on time.  

You have preexisting conditions

It’s going to be a tough battle if you have a preexisting condition or injury on the body part that was injured at work. They’ll pin the blame on your condition rather than the work injury. Hire a lawyer to help you prove that you got the injury at work and that this is what’s causing your pain and suffering.

You get a dispute regarding your permanent disability rating

Most workers’ comp awards and settlements are given for permanent disability benefits, which are computed from your disability rating. If the insurance company disputes the rating assigned to you by the doctor, you’d have to attend an independent examination with a doctor that they choose. This doctor will likely give you a lower rating, which would result in you getting fewer benefits. A workers’ compensation lawyer will ensure that you get a fair settlement and convince the judge that you deserve a higher rating. 

Your claim gets denied

Insurance companies can come up with tons of reasons to deny workers’ comp claims. The workers’ compensation system gives you a way to appeal the denial. In general, this involves a lot of paperwork and any mistake may be caused to deny your appeal. Hire a workers’ compensation lawyer to increase your chances of approval. 

Is a Lawyer Worth the Cost?

Workers’ compensation lawyers charge a contingency fee: meaning they get paid according to a percentage of the work comp benefits you recover. There’s also a cap on the amount of fees they can get from workers’ comp cases.  

Workers’ compensation lawyers improve your chances of approval and increase the settlement you can receive. Their understanding of the law, the court, and negotiation tactics all work together to build your case and get you the compensation you deserve. Plus, if you get nothing or you get fewer benefits, they’ll get less pay, too. Even after the fees, hiring a lawyer for your workers’ comp case gets you more benefits. 

Our Paducah personal injury attorneys have years of experience with worker’s compensation, Schedule a consultation today with our reliable Paducah personal injury lawyers to find out what legal steps you can take to seek compensation.