Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Columbia Settling Your Case and Recovering Compensation for Your Painful Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries are disturbingly common, especially in occupational industries such as transportation, warehousing, and construction. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows these industries had the highest fatalities in South Carolina compared with other fields.
As more context, consider what the National Safety Council has to say about workplace injuries—a worker is injured every seven seconds on the job, resulting in:
- 540 work injuries per hour
- 12,900 work injuries per day
- 90,400 work injuries per week
- 7 million work injuries per year
The effect of a workplace injury is nearly instantaneous from multiple perspectives: financial, mental, and physical. Victims might be traumatized from the accident, fearful of returning to work, and face lost wages, surgery, possible rehabilitation, and medical debt.
Managing a workplace injury is an ordeal in and of itself. Imagine your surprise when your worker’s compensation claim is denied when you need to cover groceries, medical treatment, and other expenses as part of your everyday life and recovery.
Settling for a rejection of a worker’s compensation claim could mean a catastrophic financial situation for you and your family—and Lee Injury Law, LLC won’t let that happen. What could be a mountain for you to move is simply a speed bump for our team as we help victims of workplace accidents prove their case, negotiate on their behalf and settle their claims.
Get rid of your debt and recover the compensation you’re entitled to. Contact our experienced worker’s compensation lawyers today for a resolution: (803) 500-0000.
How Does Workers’ Compensation Work in South Carolina?
As an employee, you have rights if you get injured on company time. The Worker’s Compensation Act in South Carolina says that if an employee experiences injuries due to an accident during their employment, the individual is eligible to recover medical expenses and temporary compensation for any lost wages and permanent disability benefits in more severe cases where permanent injuries are involved.
Timing matters in this instance. You have 90 days from the time of your injury to inform your employer. Otherwise, you could lose your rights to workers’ compensation altogether.
Sometimes workplace accidents don’t cause immediate injury or can result in an illness or issue that surfaces down the road. Even in minor situations, it’s best to inform your supervisor immediately of any accidents and injuries. At the same time, it’s fresh, and the company can file a report and refer you to a preferred medical provider as part of their insurance plan.
Many questions regarding workers’ compensation in Columbia SC can be directed to your human resources team. However, an experienced attorney should address any pushback or denial of workers’ compensation to avoid prolonging your payout.
Call our experienced worker’s compensation lawyers with Lee Injury Law, LLC to better understand your rights: (803) 500-0000.
What are the Most Common Workers’ Compensation Claims?
A workers’ compensation claim directly results from workplace accidents and injuries. Sometimes these incidents happen because of improper facility care, lack of safety protocols, or other negligent behavior on the part of business owners, property, or facility managers, to name a few.
There are many paths to injuries at work, though the six most common causes of workplace injuries include:
- Overexertion and fatigue on the job
- Bodily reaction
- Workplace slips, trips, and falls
- Distractions
- Messy, unkempt workspaces and environments
- Cutting corners
Another study from the National Safety Council shows the top three causes—overexertion, bodily reaction and slips, trips, and falls—are responsible for more than 75 percent of all nonfatal injuries and illnesses on the job site.
Employees who get injured on the job should take careful steps to avoid issues with a worker’s compensation claim. Within 24 hours of an injury, notify management immediately, fill out an injury and illness report, and note any unsafe working conditions that might have caused the injury and details of how the injury happened.
If you or a family member were injured at work and aren’t sure where to turn next, schedule a free consultation with Lee Injury Law, LLC, and speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to guide your next steps.
What Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?
Traditional worker’s compensation insurance benefits employees—through an employer—who get injured, contract diseases, attract an illness or die from unfortunate circumstances on the job. Workers’ compensation policies cover disability benefits, lost wages, and death benefits and reduce any liability for work-related injuries and illnesses.
The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (2022) has certified that the average weekly wage in the state for July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, was $963.37 for accidents on or after January 1, 2022.
According to state law, an injured worker may receive workers’ compensation for up to 500 weeks, with payments lasting a lifetime in situations involving permanent and total disability cases, paralysis, and total or permanent brain injury.
Regarding a possible settlement, your average weekly wage sets the dollar amount. It is based on your salaries for the last four quarters before you get injured at work, excluding the present quarter.
As workplace accidents are often unexpected, victims of incidents often face ongoing medical treatment, surgery, rehabilitation and therapy, mental health treatment, and more as part of the healing and recovery process. Lost wages can hurt a person and their family, as well as mounting medical debt and related expenses.
Experienced attorneys can handle any challenges in resolving your claim. Lee Injury Law Firm, LLC helps our clients manage debt and legal and financial difficulties related to workplace accidents while we work through the claims approval process.
How Can a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Help Me if I Get Hurt?
You might need to call a worker’s compensation lawyer if you get hurt at work and your employer denies your worker’s compensation claim. Companies follow a specific protocol by South Carolina law regarding workers’ compensation claims, though there are many reasons a claim could be rejected. Many people don’t know the “why” behind it until they’ve been injured and go through the claims process.
This is because injuries aren’t always cut and dry; when a worker’s compensation claim is denied, it’s important to find an experienced attorney to investigate and handle the pushback with appropriate legal recourse. Reasons for possible claim denial include:
- Missed deadlines
- Off-the-job injuries that led to your workplace injury
- Misclassification of your role to avoid workers’ compensation by an employer—a common tactic in the construction industry
- Improper behavior (on your part) on the job that caused the injury
- Lack of proof of injury
When accidents happen at work and you can’t get the coverage you need through workers’ compensation, increase your chances of appealing your claim when you contact Lee Injury Law, LLC. Speak with any of our attorneys today and find out if you have grounds to pursue a lawsuit.
Call (803) 500-0000 for immediate assistance.