Lancaster Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Lawyers

Sustaining an injury on the job can be a profound challenge for affected individuals and their loved ones. Navigating the often complex legal pathways to recover both physically and monetarily from such events brings added burdens to an already difficult situation. 

The Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system is meant to protect employees who are injured on the job. However, it’s not uncommon for employers and insurance companies to attempt to deny or minimize these vital benefits, which can obstruct recovery and deeply affect the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of the impacted individuals and their families.

At Pond Lehocky Giordano, we are firmly committed to championing the rights of workers who are negatively impacted by job-related injuries or ailments. If you’ve been injured at work, our team is ready to help.

Why Choose Pond Lehocky Giordano?

Our dedication to confronting large corporations, insurance agencies, and adversarial legal representatives is unwavering. Our Lancaster workers’ compensation legal team is passionate about vigorously protecting your rights and optimizing your compensation. Here are a few reasons to consider working with us:

• We’ve won more than 100,000 cases for our clients.
• When combined, our courtroom experience adds up to more than 250 years.
• We always put our clients first.
• Our in-house medical department helps you get the best care as you heal.
• We’ve been named to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Law Firms list.
• Many of our lawyers have been officially recognized as Super Lawyers and the Best Lawyers in America.
• Initial consultations are free, and you only pay if we win your case.

To arrange a complimentary, no-obligation consultation with our adept attorneys, please reach out to Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP.

Common Workplace Injuries in Lancaster

Lancaster is known for its rich farming history. While many residents still work in agriculture, Lancaster also has thriving healthcare, manufacturing, and retail sectors.

The Pond Lehocky Giordano team believes that a strong knowledge of the local economy is critical when it comes to workers’ compensation cases. From our office in Lancaster, we help clients secure compensation for the following on-the-job injuries and more.

Repetitive Stress Injuries

Repetitive stress injuries are common in factories and warehouses, especially when workers perform the same motions over and over. It’s also possible to develop a repetitive stress injury (like carpal tunnel syndrome) while working at a desk.

Occupational Illnesses

Among agricultural workers, prolonged exposure to pesticides and other industrial chemicals may lead to long-term illnesses. Similarly, if you work in the healthcare sector, you could contract an infectious disease from a patient.

Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall injuries can happen anywhere. However, if you work in retail, where freshly mopped, slippery floors are fairly common, you may be more likely than average to suffer a broken bone, back injury, or head injury after slipping and falling.

Broken Bones and Other Musculoskeletal Injuries

Falls, malfunctioning machinery, and other work-related hazards can lead to broken bones, muscle tears, lacerations, and related injuries.

Hearing Loss and Hearing Damage

If you work in the manufacturing sector or certain areas of agriculture, you may be exposed to noisy work environments. Even if your workplace provides hearing protection, you could still suffer tinnitus, hearing loss, and other hearing-related issues.

Steps to Take After a Workplace Injury in Lancaster

If you’ve just suffered a workplace injury, especially if that injury is severe, you might be unsure of what to do next. The steps you take early on can either help or hurt your case. Here’s what to do right after an injury.

1. Tell Your Supervisor Right Away

As soon as your injury happens, notify your supervisor. If you’ve been diagnosed with a work-related illness or repetitive strain injury, you should tell your supervisor as soon as you receive the official diagnosis.

2. Document the Scene if You Can

When you file a workers’ compensation claim, it helps to have evidence showing how your injury happened. This might not be possible if you need emergency care, but if you can, photograph the location of your injury and anything you think may have contributed.

For example, if your workplace has a rotted-out wooden staircase that collapsed while you were walking down it, you should photograph the staircase, making sure to clearly show that the wood is rotten.

3. Seek Medical Attention

Seek medical care as soon as possible after your injury. If you are severely hurt, call 911. For other injuries or suspected injuries, visit an urgent care clinic or see a doctor as soon as possible. Ask your employer whether they have a list of approved doctors or clinics for nonemergency care.

4. File a Workers’ Compensation Claim

Your workplace should report your injury to its insurance provider, but you’ll also need to file a Workers’ Compensation Claim Petition.

If you wish, you can complete this step on your own. However, our workers’ compensation attorneys understand what types of evidence are most likely to result in approval.

5. Collect as Much Documentation as You Can

Whether you choose to work with a workers’ compensation attorney or go it alone, documentation is vital. Do your best to collect these pieces of evidence:

• A copy of your workplace incident report
• All hospital discharge papers and medical visit summaries
• Copies of your medical bills
• A log of your communications with your employer
• Photos of what caused your injury
• Contact information for any witnesses

Unfortunately, many insurance companies try to do whatever they can to deny claims. The more evidence you have, the harder it is for them to deny yours.

6. Contact Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

The workers’ compensation system can be confusing, and it may seem stacked against you. Our experienced attorneys are here to guide you. There’s no financial risk to contacting us: If we take your case, you only pay us if we recover compensation.

Why Hire a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?

If you’re filing a workers’ compensation claim, you have the right to represent yourself. However, doing so could put you at a disadvantage. Here are a few reasons to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer.

1. You Need Someone to Advocate for You

Workers’ compensation insurance companies will often fight fiercely to hold onto their money. When you have bills to pay and are falling behind financially, you deserve to have an equally determined representative on your side.

2. Lawyers Understand When Compensation Is Fair

Often, injured workers whose claims are approved are relieved to have any payment at all. However, many insurance companies underpay claims, and they get away with it because workers don’t know any better.

Our attorneys deal with workers’ compensation settlements every day. We can determine whether your settlement is fair, and if it isn’t, we’ll step up to challenge the insurance company.

3. You’ll Have a Better Chance of a Fair Settlement

There are no guarantees in the legal world. However, because our workers’ compensation attorneys know what it takes to win a case, we strongly believe that we offer a better chance of getting the compensation you deserve.

When Is It Especially Important to Hire an Attorney?

Although the workers’ compensation system is meant to support employees who were hurt on the job, it can sometimes feel skewed in favor of employers and their insurance companies. That’s where an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in Lancaster can make a difference—by standing up for your rights and ensuring you’re treated justly.

With our Pennsylvania legal team by your side, you don’t need to engage directly with the insurance company. Instead, one of our attorneys will take the lead in managing those communications. 

It’s common for insurers to arrange an independent medical examination (IME) with a doctor on their payroll, but these physicians may downplay the seriousness of your injuries or suggest alternative causes. A knowledgeable workers’ comp lawyer helps ensure that your injuries are evaluated fairly and objectively throughout the process.

Our attorneys work tirelessly to secure the full benefits and compensation you deserve. Legal help becomes especially important in situations such as:

• Your employer denies or delays your claim.
• The settlement offer doesn’t fully cover your medical bills or lost income.
• Your injury prevents you from returning to your previous role.
• You’re unable to work at all due to your condition.
• Your ability to earn a living has been significantly impaired.
• You’re receiving or planning to apply for Social Security disability benefits.
• Your employer doesn’t carry workers’ compensation insurance.
• You face retaliation for filing a claim.
• A third party or your employer’s gross negligence caused your injury.

Even if your case doesn’t go to trial, having a skilled workplace injury attorney in Lancaster on your side can make the claims process far less overwhelming—and far more successful.

How Do Lancaster Workers’ Comp Lawyers Help?

Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP, renowned nationally for our proficient team of workers’ comp attorneys, is committed to assisting workers who, following workplace accidents, face unjust refusals of their rightful claims. Tapping into our long history of defending laborers, our Pennsylvania attorneys lead clients through the complex and taxing journey to acquire their due compensation every day. Our experience spans a wide range of workplace injury cases, including:

• Damage to all body regions, including but not limited to the spine, eyes, respiratory system, and limbs.
• Recurring strain injuries like carpal tunnel and tendonitis.
• Hearing impairment or loss.
• Brain injuries, including concussions, that are due to accidents, like falls.
• Injuries resulting from extreme temperatures or events like electrocution.
• Diseases from toxin exposure, such as mesothelioma or Black Lung.
• Muscular damage, fractures, and other physical traumas from activities like lifting.
• Workplace fatalities.

We also represent clients in third-party claims. While workers’ compensation usually means no fault attributed to employers, those hurt at work can take legal recourse against makers of faulty machinery or products that contributed to their injury, besides their workers’ comp claim. Such claims often arise from hazardous work environments, inadequate training, or malfunctioning equipment.

What Can a Workers’ Comp Lawyer Secure for You?

Workers’ compensation attorneys at Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP are wholly dedicated to aiding Lancaster residents who’ve sustained workplace injuries. Our attorneys handle a vast range of workers’ compensation claims, ensuring our clients obtain the benefits they rightfully deserve. Compensation amounts can vary based on numerous factors, such as the injury’s severity, the recovery time, and the incurred medical expenses. 

Our esteemed attorneys in Pennsylvania can help you secure:

• Medical expense reimbursements, which encompass surgical operations, medicines, physical therapy, medical apparatus, and doctor visits
• Temporary total disability benefits for workers incapable of returning to work for a duration post their injury
• Permanent partial disability benefits for workers who’ve experienced a lasting disability, but can continue working in some capacity
• Permanent total disability benefits for workers debilitated to a degree that precludes any employment
• Death benefits for families and dependents of workers who’ve tragically succumbed to their injuries
• Vocational rehabilitation support for retraining or counseling, assisting workers to transition to different roles due to their injuries

Furthermore, if an injured worker believes they were subjected to employer negligence that caused their injury, they could file a personal injury lawsuit, separate from the workers’ compensation claim. This could lead to compensation for pain, suffering, and other non-economic damages not covered under workers’ comp. Our Lancaster workers’ compensation lawyers are well-versed in handling such personal injury claims and can guide clients throughout this complex process.

Understanding Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Lancaster, PA

Successfully filing a compensation claim entitles injured workers to wage-loss benefits, typically two-thirds of their pre-tax weekly earnings before the injury. Minimum and maximum adjustments vary by region. Several types of workers’ compensation benefits include:

• Wage Loss Benefits: Compensate for lost wages due to total or partial disability
• Death Benefits: Payments to surviving dependents of a worker who died due to a workplace illness or injury
• Specific Loss Benefits: Compensation for loss of a body part, its use, or permanent scarring
• Medical Care: Cover surgical and medical care for workplace-related injuries or illnesses

In cases of partial disability, benefits may be paid for up to 500 weeks if the worker can return to a lower-paying job with restrictions or is not entirely disabled. The period can also vary by region.

For total disability, employers or insurers may request a medical examination to determine if the employee’s condition has improved enough to classify it as partial disability.

Get Your Free Case Assessment with a Lancaster Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today

To maximize your chances of obtaining compensation for the suffering caused by your occupational injury, consult with a dedicated Lancaster workers’ compensation legal team. We offer no-cost initial consultations to help you better understand your legal options and the potential strength of your claim. For more details, reach out to Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP at 1-888-504-6484 or fill out our online contact form.

YOUR WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CASE:
A VIDEO GUIDE

Learn about the entire claims process by watching this short video:

Download Brochure