Work-Related Injuries

Work injuries can not only bring your career to a screeching halt, but they can also cause lifelong damages and suffering. 

 

No victim of a work injury is ever expecting to be hurt on the job. One moment, you're at work and everything is going great. The next moment you're suddenly hurt, in pain, and overwhelmed by your medical, professional, and financial futures. A simple communication failure or on-the-job safety hazard is all it can take to put your life and the life of your family entirely at risk.

 

At Rinaldo and Rinaldo, we understand how a work injury can majorly affect workers and their families. Our team of work-related injury lawyers has helped countless workers and their families over our 90 years in legal practice.

 

A work injury can be any injury sustained at or due to work, such as an illness, an accident injury, or repetitive stress that leads to injury. 

 

Some of the most common causes of work injury accidents and occupational illnesses include: 

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• Asbestos exposure

• Burns 

• Carelessness or employee neglect on the part of other workers

• Chemical exposure

• Construction accidents

• Electrocution

• Heavy machinery accidents

• Inadequate employee instruction and training

• Miscommunications in the work setting

• Pressure to ignore potential hazards to get the job done faster

• Pressure to ignore safe working practices to get the job done faster

• Slip and fall accidents

• Unsafe working environments

 

A workplace injury can be caused by many different variables and the expense of a workplace injury can range from minimal to astronomical. Although workers’ compensation claims can help cover the medical expenses and lost wages sustained from a workplace injury, many times workers’ compensation funds do not provide the financial support needed for any long-term medical care your injuries may require. 

 

Work injuries can happen while you are at your workplace or on the job, but work-related injuries can also occur when you are outside the job site or off the clock. If you suffer a work-related injury outside of your workplace and your employer and/or job is responsible for your injuries, you may have a claim for compensation.

 

For the most part, work injury compensation insurance must cover injuries sustained during any work-related tasks, whether or not you were on the clock at work during the time of injury. For example, you may qualify for work injury compensation benefits even if you were traveling in the course of your work or on an employer’s property outside of your scheduled work hours. However, these cases can be legally complex. Work injury cases require the advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer to help protect you when dealing with insurers, defense lawyers, and other entities that are likely to dispute all of the factors to your work injury claim.

 

When you're a victim of a work-related injury, you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits no matter who is at fault. However, a work injury claim through workers’ compensation insurance may still require the assistance of a knowledgeable attorney. 

 

Even though you're eligible for workers' compensation benefits as an injured worker, the insurance company that provides coverage for these benefits is never eager to pay out the money for your medical care or lost income. Through our decades of experience handling work-related injury cases for our clients at Rinaldo and Rinaldo, we know that the unfortunate reality is, just because you’re entitled to compensation, does not mean that you will receive it without a considerable amount of hassle and hard work, which most individuals are unable to do without the help of an experienced injury attorney. 

 

In addition to filing a claim with workers' compensation, certain circumstances of your work injury may allow you to pursue a lawsuit against a third-party, which is called a third-party work injury claim. In a third-party work injury claim, you may have the right to sue a third party, if that party’s negligence contributed to your injury. 

 

Examples of possible third-party work injury claims include: 

 

• Claims on behalf of subcontractors or other workers who are not official employees of a company 

• Claims against the manufacturers of defective products or dangerous substances that you are exposed to while on the job 

• Lawsuits against careless drivers who cause accidents while you are on the road for a work assignment

• Claims for premises liability against a property owner or manager other than your employer, such as you are a delivery person and you are injured in a slip and fall accident while delivering packages to a client or customer who’s poorly maintained grounds caused your injury

 

If you have been injured in a work-related accident and you believe your injury is due to the negligence of a third-party, contact Rinaldo and Rinaldo today so we may help to provide you the legal knowledge and expertise needed for your case. A work injury case that involves potential overlap between your workers’ compensation claims for benefits through your employer and compensation you may be entitled to seek from a negligent third-party lawsuit makes the case highly complex. 

 

To receive workers' compensation benefits for a work injury requires you to follow your company’s protocol and procedures, but you do not need to waive all of your legal rights simply to receive the benefits that may be owed to you. It is essential that you hire an experienced work injury lawyer to advocate for you and ensure your legal rights are protected. 

 

If your work injury claim is denied by the insurance company, your benefit payments can be delayed or paid out in smaller amounts than you are entitled to, which can result in you being unable to afford proper medical care or have to settle for subpar medical care due to your financial restraints. An experienced injury attorney, such as our team at Rinaldo and Rinaldo, can fight for you so you may have a better chance of receiving the adequate medical care needed for your injuries. 

 

The two most important steps to take if you suffer a work-related injury are: 

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• Step 1: Document your work injury. The only way to begin a work injury claim is to document the injury. Many times workers are hesitant to report a work injury, but it is imperative that you report your work injury as soon as possible after the injury occurs so you may begin accessing workers’ compensation benefits. 

 

• Step 2: Receive medical treatment. Medical treatment is fundamental for any serious injury, but when you suffer a work injury you must receive medical treatment not only to improve your condition but your physician’s diagnosis and prognosis of your injuries will determine what future medical care you will need for your injuries and how much time you will require to be out of work.

 

Recovering from a work injury can be one of the most frustrating, difficult, and stressful times of your life. The legal process for insurance claims, lawsuits, and determining if a negligent third-party is liable for your injuries can easily become overwhelming and financially burdening for injured workers. At Rinaldo and Rinaldo, we believe in offering our clients an easy way to relieve themselves of the burden of navigating the work injury claims process on their own. 

 

Our firm has more than 90 years of experience in workers’ compensation, personal injury, and wrongful death litigation. We have regularly represented injured workers throughout New Jersey and our team of attorneys is ready to help make your work injury claim process as fast, painless, and successful as possible.