Hickory Workplace Injury Lawyer

Your Right To Workers’ Comp Benefits After A Workplace Accident in Hickory, NC

Every day, many people working in the Hickory area and throughout North Carolina suffer injuries and develop illnesses at work. North Carolina enforces some of the strictest workers’ compensation laws in the country, so many of these victims will have the right to seek workers’ compensation benefits to recover from these experiences. However, the workers’ compensation claim process is more complex than many people expect, and an injured worker can face a very difficult recovery process after a workplace injury.

Law Office of Lyndon R. Helton, PLLC is a team of experienced Hickory work injury lawyers who can help clients explore all their avenues of recovery after suffering injuries at work. Our team has successfully helped many past clients navigate the workers’ compensation claim process and obtain additional compensation through civil claims against the parties responsible for causing their injuries. Whatever your situation entails, our team will help you determine your best options for recovering the compensation you deserve.

How Can I Recover From a Work Injury in North Carolina?

If you suffered an injury during the course of doing your job, you might be able to file two legal claims:

1. Workers’ compensation claim with your employer. The workers’ compensation claim process is straightforward on paper and tedious in practice. Your employer must provide you with the claim forms you need to file with the workers’ compensation insurance carrier. The insurance carrier will determine your eligibility for benefits based on the severity of your injury and the extent of your employer’s coverage.
2. Third-party claim against the negligent person or party — not employed by your company — who caused your injury; examples include a contractor who injures you when you visit a place of work or a negligent driver who hurts you while you are traveling on business. While it is technically possible to file a civil claim against your employer or another member of your workplace, this is only allowed in response to intentional harm. If your employer or a co-worker intentionally injured you, or if they willfully created a situation sustainably certain to cause an injury, you would have grounds for a civil claim.

Though you are allowed to collect damages from both claims, the workers’ compensation insurance company will try to get reimbursed from the third-party settlement. To make sure you receive all of the compensation you deserve, you may need to work with an attorney with experience handling work injury claims.At Law Office of Lyndon R. Helton, PLLC, in Hickory, we help injured workers throughout Western North Carolina collect the benefits and damages to which they are entitled. If you are awarded workers’ compensation benefits as well as damages from a third party, we will fight to limit the amount that workers’ comp can take from your third-party settlement.

Employee Injury Compensation

Workers’ compensation is generally available to employees who are injured on the job. If your injury was the fault of a negligent third party, such as the driver of a vehicle or the manufacturer of defective machinery, you might be able to collect additional damages. We represent employees in workers’ comp and third-party liability claims.

Accidents and injuries can happen at any workplace, but some occupations put workers at a higher risk for injury, such as:

• Construction-related injuries. Construction is one of the most inherently dangerous fields for anyone to work in. The nature of construction work is hazardous for many reasons. Workers must navigate and work on unfinished structures that lack the safety features found in finished buildings. They must also use dangerous tools and heavy equipment that can easily cause injuries. Construction work is also physically demanding, with a high potential for causing repetitive stress injuries and acute traumatic injuries.
• Nursing. Any type of nursing work carries a high risk of workplace injury. Nurses are routinely exposed to hazardous waste and biological pathogens. Some nurses must provide health care to dangerous patients who may lash out and cause injuries unexpectedly.
• Trucking. Truck drivers have demanding jobs that can pose a threat of serious vehicle accidents and health problems caused by driving for several hours every day.
• Manufacturing. Manufacturing workplaces typically require the use of heavy equipment and specialized machinery, much of which is capable of causing catastrophic injuries if mishandled or if they malfunction.
• Delivery. Delivery drivers face tremendous pressure to complete their delivery routes as efficiently as possible, and they must often navigate heavy traffic to do this. As a result, delivery drivers face risks of accidents and may also suffer injuries when they leave their vehicles to deliver packages.

While some workplaces are inherently more dangerous than others, it’s vital to recognize that almost anyone can suffer a workplace injury, develop an illness from work conditions, or suffer chronic physical ailments due to repetitive stress at work. Therefore, no matter what your situation may entail, if you believe you qualify to file for workers’ compensation, it’s essential to consult a Hickory work injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Law Office of Lyndon R. Helton, PLLC has extensive experience representing clients who have suffered a wide range of workplace injuries. Injuries suffered on the job often include:

• Repetitive stress injuries. Conditions such as herniated spinal discs and carpal tunnel syndrome can cause long-lasting pain and discomfort for affected workers. Workers’ compensation benefits can potentially cover immediate treatment costs after a repetitive stress injury diagnosis and coverage for ongoing care and symptom management.
• Broken bones and amputations. These injuries can be excruciating and psychologically traumatic. Some people affected by these injuries may face permanent disability and be unable to resume their previous job duties.
• Back and spinal injuries. Back injuries can easily cause tremendous pain, and injuries to the spinal cord have the potential to cause paralysis and other long-term disabilities.
• Burns. Injuries from fire and explosions can be excruciating, permanently disfiguring, and disabling. In addition, many burn injuries will create scar tissue that can diminish flexibility, cause chronic pain, and pose emotional distress to the victim.
• Electric shock. Many workplaces entail risks of electrocution. These injuries can cause burn-related damage, interrupt cardiovascular function, and cause severe nerve damage.
• Head and brain injuries. These are some of the most severe injuries anyone can suffer. Any traumatic brain injury can cause long-lasting negative symptoms or even permanent disabilities. In addition, some brain injury victims will be unable to return to work after these injuries.

In addition to physical injuries, workers can develop illnesses from being exposed to toxins. An injured worker may easily be left with a debilitating condition, such as chronic and permanent pain, that may leave them unable to return to work and permanently disabled.

The workers’ compensation laws of North Carolina entitle any injured worker to file a workers’ compensation claim through their employer. Employers may not interfere with these claims, nor may they take any punitive action against an employee who files a workers’ compensation claim or requests a claim form.

What Compensation Can I Receive for a Work Injury in Hickory?

If you are injured at work and file a workers’ compensation claim, you can generally expect full coverage for all medical expenses you incur from your work injury. This will include immediate treatment costs and ongoing care costs, symptom management, and medical assistance necessary for managing a disability from your injury. Workers’ compensation can also provide disability benefits if you cannot work for an extended period due to your injury. These disability benefits may be temporary or permanent, and they can be awarded on a “partial” or “total” basis, depending on the severity of your injury.

If workers’ compensation doesn’t provide full coverage for your damages resulting from a workplace injury, you could have grounds to seek additional compensation through a civil claim against the party responsible for your injury. North Carolina’s workers’ compensation laws typically prohibit lawsuits from injured workers against their employers unless their employers intentionally caused their injuries somehow. However, if someone outside your workplace caused your work injury, your Hickory work injury attorney could help you build a civil claim against them to seek compensation for damages that workers’ compensation won’t cover.

Get Our Assistance Today

If you have been injured at work, you need a Hickory workplace injury attorney who will fight for your right to fair compensation. Please call us at 828-328-9966 or 888-321-0494 (toll-free) to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our experienced lawyers.

We take injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning if we accept your case, you do not have to pay us if you do not recover damages.