Keeping Your Options Open After A Workplace Injury

Being injured on the job can be complicated, especially when the question of fault isn't clear. Were you injured because of company failures, or something that an individual did to you? Could your company escape fault due to where you were during the incident or whether you were on the clock or not? There's a lot of difficult questions to ask and different compensation opportunities, so you need to remain flexible with your legal options. Take a look at a few paths your injury compensation could take and know that you don't need to commit to anything, especially with an attorney on your side. 

Workers Compensation As An Option

The Workers Compensation system is a buffer for legal issues that can arise on the job. Many jobs have inherent risks to the point that no matter how much safety you apply, you could still be seriously injured. Instead of abandoning you with your injuries or potentially sapping your employer of much needed problems for something that wasn't anyone's fault, Workers Comp insurance covers most of the damages.

Workers comp will pay for your immediate medical bills and compensate you for missed workdays. Compensation policies vary depending on the state, but a good example of the amount of coverage is South Carolina's policy of paying 66 2/3 percent of an injured worker's salary.

The difficult part of Workers Comp is deciding whether or not you're prepared for work or light duty. Some legal cases begin when the insurance system or medical team believes that the worker can return to work at full or limited capacity, but if the worker is in pain or disabled during that decision and disagrees, an appeal needs to be made in order to keep compensation.

Another issue is whether the injury is a workplace injury or not. The Workers Comp insurance supplier may decide that your injury was too far from work, or happened while you were off duty and therefore not eligible. Don't argue and don't give out details until you have a workers compensation attorney on your side.

Personal Injury Options

If the evidence shows that your employer or the work site was not the cause of your injury, your attorney may suggest a personal injury legal option. This is necessary when you're bringing legal action against a private person or business for a personal injury that wasn't related to your job.

Although personal injury payouts can be significant, it lacks the insurance safety net of the Workers Comp system. You'll be risking debates about payment rates and medical coverage while the Workers Comp system has policies in place if you could only qualify for the system.

Keep personal injury legal action in mind, but be sure to contact a Workers Compensation attorney, like the Law Office of Leslie S. Shaw,  to discuss your options before discussing anything with your workplace or insurance agents.