Jersey City Warehouse Injury Lawyer

With Americans fueling the popularity of e-commerce over the past few decades, the number of warehouse workers continues to explode to keep up with the necessary tasks of unloading, sorting, picking, packing, and shipping merchandise.

The downside of distribution center work is that accidents are common. The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) reports that mega-retailer Amazon averages 6.5 injuries for every 100 employees annually. As a warehouse worker, following safety protocols is imperative, but you can still be injured through no fault of your own. Can you be compensated while you are out of work recuperating? Yes. To learn how to take legal action, consult a Jersey City warehouse injury lawyer now. Our personal injury attorneys are ready to explore your options for compensation and benefits.

The Insurance Program That Benefits Employees

New Jersey companies must participate in workers’ compensation, an insurance program that pays for medical care and a portion of an employee’s wages when they are injured on the job or become ill due to a job-related condition, such as lung cancer from working in a fertilizer warehouse. Some employers are permitted to self-insure. Under the New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Act 34:15-7, injuries do not require blame to be assigned, but the insurance company or employer can challenge and deny claims in which the worker was intoxicated or high on drugs as the sole cause of the accident.

Employees hurt on the job do not have the choice to sue their employer or accept workers’ compensation. The advantage is that they also do not have to prove their employer was negligent, as they would in a personal injury lawsuit. They only must show they were injured on the job, even if they made a mistake that contributed to their accident.

Common Warehouse Accidents

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) ranks the top four causes of warehouse accidents as stemming from forklifts, chemicals, electrical wiring, and electrical systems designs. But other accidents include:

• Slip and fall 
• Working in extreme temperatures
• Crushing incidents
• Physically lifting and carrying heavy boxes, which impact the back and neck
• Improperly storing items, causing them to fall on workers or shelves they are stored on to collapse
• Blocked emergency exits

Warehouse injuries can disable a worker temporarily or permanently. In either situation, a skilled Jersey City attorney can guide an injured warehouse worker through the process of obtaining workers’ compensation benefits. The process is riddled with deadlines, and specific evidence must be submitted.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Injured workers must be unable to work for at least seven days after a workplace accident to collect workers’ compensation benefits. After 21 days, temporary disability payments that are usually two-thirds of an employee’s wages begin if the employee cannot return to light duty at work. Permanent disability benefits may be available if the injury or condition is disabling and will not improve. Retraining for a different job is also possible under workers’ compensation, and death benefits are paid to the family when employees succumb to their injuries.

Do not try to figure out the system when applying for benefits. Proving eligibility is a challenge when an injury accrues over time. A warehouse injury lawyer in Jersey City could help you secure the benefits you deserve.

Contact a Jersey City Warehouse Injury Attorney to Get Your Benefits

Warehouse jobs are growing exponentially with the popularity of online shopping. You should feel secure if you work for Amazon or any other warehouse that stores goods, whether for a brick-and-mortar company or an online seller. The downside is the high rate of injuries in warehouses.

If you are injured at work, you are covered by workers’ compensation insurance that will pay for your medical care and a portion of your lost wages. We are here to help you. Contact a Jersey City warehouse injury lawyer for a complimentary consultation now.