Office Locations
Do You Have a Rocky Mount Workers’ Compensation Claim? We’re Here to Help*
Rocky Mount 27804
Phone: 252-937-4730
Toll Free: 1-866-900-7078
*By Appointment Only
In 2019, private employers in North Carolina reported 69,400 injuries and illnesses. More than half of those were severe enough to cause an employee to miss work, restrict their work, or switch jobs altogether. These more severe injuries occurred to more than one out of every 100 full-time workers.
Those are just numbers, until you or someone you love is injured at work. When that happens, the numbers that matter are the ones on the bills that keep coming in. As you begin to navigate the process, a North Carolina workers’ compensation lawyer can help. Contact us today for a free consultation.
What Are Common Types of Work Injuries?
Sometimes the type of industry makes a difference in the types of injuries suffered on the job. Manufacturing jobs, which account for 15% of private industry injuries nationwide, feature specific kinds of machinery and equipment that potentially increase a worker’s danger. Employees may be particularly aware of this in Nash County, where the largest employer is the manufacturer Hospira, Inc.
But even “regular” jobs, such as retail, offer far too much opportunity for worker injury. In fact, according to the Los Angeles Times, it’s riskier to work in retail than in a factory. This is something workers in Edgecombe County should be aware of, where the largest employer is a titan of retail trade QVC.
Regardless of industry, the workplace events and circumstances leading to injury tend to be similar. Working at Hospira is different from working at QVC, but an injury may be due to an exhausted employee at both locations.
According to the National Safety Council, three types of work events are responsible for about 86% of lost days from work:
- Overexertion
- Contact with objects and equipment
- Slip and falls
The most common types of workplace injuries include:
- Sprains, strains, and tears
- Soreness and pain
- Cuts, lacerations, and punctures
Learn More: How to File for Workers’ Comp
What Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits Are Available?
Most employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance and most injured workers will be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. What are these potential benefits?
Lost Wages
This is payment for the time you were out of work. The benefit is usually two-thirds of your average weekly wage leading up to the injury. This compensation is non-taxable.
Medical Benefits
This is payment for your medical bills incurred as a result of your injury. These bills may include physical therapy, pain management, and medical procedures such as surgery.
Vocational Rehabilitation
If your injury is severe enough that returning to your original job is no longer an option, you may be entitled to assistance in re-training and locating new work that is more suitable.
Injury Compensation
This is payment for the injured body part. The payment depends on the disability rating you may receive from your doctor and is usually two-thirds of your weekly wage leading up to the injury.
Learn More: Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits in North Carolina
Am I Getting the Right Amount of Compensation?
Eligible injured workers are generally entitled to two-thirds of their average weekly wage in workers’ comp benefits each week. There are guidelines for precisely how this amount should be calculated and there can be room for disagreement and miscalculation. If you feel you are not getting the correct amount, a workers’ comp attorney in Rocky Mount may be able to help.
Should I Settle My Workers’ Comp Case?
The ideal outcome of your medical treatment is 100% recovery with no lingering pain or loss of function. However, if you still have loss of function in an injured body part after reaching maximum medical improvement, your doctor must assign you an impairment rating. This impairment rating may play a part in a settlement of your case.
Before you even consider settling, you want to make sure you’ve received an accurate impairment rating from your treating physician.
Whether you should accept a settlement offer will of course depend on the particular facts and circumstances of your case. It’s best to discuss the option of settling with a skilled Rocky Mount workers’ compensation lawyer. Remember, you’re only paying on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t pay an attorney’s fee unless we recover for you.2
Learn More: What Is a Permanent Impairment Rating?
Can the Insurance Company Force Me to Settle?
In North Carolina, a “clincher” settlement generally resolves your case and completes your business with the insurance company. Some insurance companies may try to pressure injured workers into settling. An injured worker may be feeling intense pressure from being out of work and some insurance companies may try to take advantage of this.
The law is in your favor, though. Your employer or their insurance company cannot force you to accept a settlement. That’s not how settlements work in workers’ compensation cases.
What Happens When You Get a Workers’ Comp Lawyer?
A lawyer makes your life easier and can make the insurance company’s harder. A workers’ compensation insurance company may be interested in maximizing its own profits – even at an injured worker’s expense. As the overwhelming majority of insurance companies are for-profit, their main priority is almost always the bottom line.
When you get a workers’ comp lawyer, you level the playing field with the insurance company. You tell them you mean business, since you have a highly-skilled advocate making you the priority.
What you won’t get are up-front costs. When you work with one of our Rocky Mount workers’ comp attorneys, we only get — and only want — an attorney’s fee if we get compensation for you.2 Find out for free if we think we can get you compensation!
What Can One of Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Rocky Mount Do for You?
In addition to lightening your load, your attorney will square up to the insurance company and help you seek maximum compensation.
While you focus on getting better, your attorney can:
- Listen to your concerns
- Explain your rights
- Monitor your medical care
- Evaluate if a potential settlement fully accounts for your needs
- Help you appeal a denied claim
Meet Christopher: How We Helped One Client Go From Being Fired to Being Fired Up
Rocky Mount Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Offering Free Case Evaluation
Do you need a skilled attorney to lead you through the workers’ compensation maze? Several of our attorneys have over a decade of experience each in workers’ compensation law. Many of the recognized professionals at our firm speak at seminars for other attorneys or have written books on the law.
Our team’s knowledge is rooted in extensive experience. We have former attorneys and paralegals for insurance companies on staff, drawing on that inside information on your behalf.
Two of our attorneys worked at the North Carolina Industrial Commission, the workers’ compensation “court.” One even helped write some of North Carolina’s workers’ comp laws as a four-term state senator.
On top of all that, several of our attorneys are North Carolina State Bar Board-Certified Specialists in workers’ compensation law. These attorneys have additional education and training in workers’ compensation law.
Meet the Team: Our Formidable Advocates Are Ready to Fight for You
Are you getting all of the benefits you’re entitled to under the law? Contact us online or call us at 1-866-900-7078 to find out more about how our Rocky Mount office can help you. Tell them you mean business!
*by appointment only
