Lancaster Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

Steps to Take After Getting Injured in a Workplace Accident

Uncertain about what actions to take after a work injury? It’s vital to report your injury without delay, even if you feel you might be at fault, provided no unlawful acts were committed. For occupational illnesses that emerge over time, like mesothelioma, or repetitive strain conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, immediate reporting upon medical diagnosis and establishing its connection to your work is key.

Inform your employer or supervisor right after the injury happens, no matter how serious or you think it might be – even if it results in missed workdays. Ensure your report captures the date, time, and details of the incident. Submitting this in a written format is advisable. If a medical professional diagnoses you with a work-related ailment, relay this information promptly. Always report injuries to your supervisor or the person responsible for injury documentation.

By promptly reporting injuries, recording medical findings, bills, and lodging your claim, you fortify your position if your employer attempts to challenge, diminish, or outright reject your workers’ compensation request.

Do You Need Legal Representation for Workers’ Comp in Lancaster?

While employees are allowed to represent themselves in workers’ compensation cases, going it alone often places them at a considerable disadvantage. Legal firms that represent workers’ compensation insurance companies aggressively defend their clients and aim to minimize payouts. Hence, it’s essential for employees to have a competent and well-equipped legal team vigorously advocating for them.

Even for employees already receiving workers’ compensation benefits, consulting a knowledgeable attorney can provide insights into the adequacy of their current benefits package and help them guard against any future challenges by the insurance company.

In instances of severe occupational injuries or illnesses, having legal representation is often imperative. Regardless of the severity of your injury or illness, or if you feel you have been unjustly treated, reaching out to a Lancaster area workers’ compensation attorney is advisable. While you may feel confident navigating the claim independently, a lawyer serves to guide you from start to finish and gets compensated only when you win your case.

Why Hire a Workers’ Comp Lawyer?

While workers’ compensation was designed to provide prompt compensation for injured workers, it can sometimes seem to favor employers and insurers. An experienced Lancaster workers’ comp attorney serves as your advocate, ensuring you’re treated fairly.

With the help of our legal team in Pennsylvania, you avoid direct communication with the insurance company: one of our attorneys would handle these interactions. Insurance adjusters often schedule an independent medical examination with a doctor paid by the insurance company. This doctor may downplay your injury or provide an alternative explanation for how it occurred. A workers’ compensation lawyer guides you through the process, ensuring objective and fair evaluation of your injuries.

Workers’ compensation lawyers work diligently to secure maximum compensation for their clients’ damages. There are situations where legal representation is especially crucial:

• When the employer rejects or hesitates to disburse benefits.
• When the proposed settlement doesn’t cover lost wages and medical expenses.
• When the injury prevents returning to the previous job.
• When you can’t perform any work due to the injury.
• When the injury severely limits your ability to work.
• When you’re receiving or plan to receive Social Security disability benefits.
• When the employer lacks workers’ compensation insurance.
• When the employer retaliates against you for filing a worker’s compensation claim.
• When the injury results from a third party’s actions or the employer’s serious misconduct.

Even if your case doesn’t go to court, consulting our workplace accident injury lawyers in Lancaster can help you navigate the complex process of dealing with your employer and its insurance company.

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 expertise 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, 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 damages, 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 gravity, the recovery time, and the incurred medical expenses. Nevertheless, 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.