Newark Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A workplace accident can suddenly change your career, especially if a serious injury creates a disability. Whether temporary or permanent, your new reality can cost you.
Fortunately, the workers’ compensation system exists to pay out benefits and avoid litigation. A Newark workers’ compensation lawyer could help you prove your injuries and maximize your benefits, as well as determine if you have a personal injury claim against any other parties besides your employer.
Workers’ Compensation Details
For most injuries outside of the workplace, an accident leads to an insurance claim or a lawsuit for damages, with a plaintiff providing evidence of who is responsible and what they are owed. Workers’ compensation substitutes for the process of bringing a lawsuit by requiring employers to have insurance that pays out benefits to injured workers and by removing the right to sue an employer.
If injured at work, a worker must report the injury and document it with medical care. Their employer then notifies their insurer, who can pay out benefits quickly before reevaluating the worker’s injuries and ability to work. An employee must report an accident within 90 days, though the worker’s claim itself only needs to be filed within two years.
The process of receiving both income replacement and reimbursement for medical expenses requires a worker to show their injury and level of disability. An employer or their insurer may question the injury and attempt to reduce benefits, such as by doubting whether the injury is actually work-related or by undermining the extent of the claimed injury.
Facing off with an employer or an insurer can require time and resources beyond those of a worker recovering from an injury. A Newark workers’ compensation attorney could provide crucial assistance in protecting a worker’s benefits.
How a Workers’ Compensation Attorney Could Help
Similar to a lawsuit, making a workers’ compensation claim requires evidence. An injured worker should document their injury and how it happened, which could entail obtaining statements from coworkers and even surveillance footage from an employer. An attorney can step into the role of factfinder by gathering these kinds of evidence to support a worker’s claim.
Seeking medical attention and documentation is also part of the process, as a worker may need to see a doctor specified by their employer in addition to their own doctor. With the guidance of an attorney, an injured worker can make sure a doctor examines their injuries and can document their medical opinion for proof later on.
Finally, workers’ compensation takes away the need and process of suing an employer for workplace injuries, but injuries caused by a third party or determined not to be work-related could still lead to a lawsuit. A workers’ compensation lawyer in Newark could advise on what claims may be available, as well as sort out the damages a worker could claim based on their injuries.
Get the Help of a Newark Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Navigating the workers’ compensation system, including various deadlines and necessary proof to obtain benefits, is easier with the aid of an attorney. Working with a Newark workers’ compensation lawyer could help protect your benefits after a workplace accident.
By hiring one of our attorneys at Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq, you can rest assured that you can provide for yourself and your family with workers’ compensation benefits. We pursue your interests and can stand up to an employer or insurer unwilling to pay. Contact our offices to learn more.