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A Henderson Workers’ Compensation Attorney Who Will Put You First
Injuries at work happen — a lot. In 2019, private employers nationwide reported nearly 3 million workplace injuries and illnesses. More than 888,000 of those caused an employee to miss at least one day of work. Unfortunately, this number doesn’t even account for injuries resulting in fatalities.
If you’re injured at work, regardless of industry, you’re going to want to know more about workers’ comp in North Carolina. And you should consider hiring a workers’ compensation lawyer.
What Should You Do if You’re Injured at Work?
The first step is to make sure everyone knows.
Report it as soon as possible in writing to your supervisor. Tell your coworkers what happened. Fill out an incident report. When you go to the doctor, make sure they know you had an accident on the job.
These reports and medical records may become very important.
Why Do Employers Fight Workers’ Comp Claims?
An employer may fight workers’ comp claims for three main reasons: to avoid increased premiums and other costs, to discourage others from pursuing their rights, and to avoid bad publicity.
Increased Premiums and Other Costs
Employers may fear increased premiums as a result of paid-out insurance claims. This would be on top of immediate additional costs for the employer in the aftermath of the injury. For example, other team members might be required to put in overtime while the injured worker heals.
Discouraging Other Claims
But it’s not just about saving money in the short and medium term. An employer who vigorously defends even the most straightforward claims may effectively discourage others from filing theirs in the first place. Creating this sort of chilling effect can be very effective in keeping costs down long-term.
Your employer may even believe they are standing on principle by combating workers’ comp claims. If your employer is biased against workers and believes most injured workers are just trying to scam the system, this attitude can certainly color their actions.
Fear of Bad Publicity
Finally, your employer may be more worried about bad publicity than any risk of increased premiums. Accepting even an obvious claim may strike them as a public relations disaster. Or they may be worried about internal strife once they acknowledge a work hazard. Of course, both of these concerns are largely rooted in preserving the company’s ability to make money.
How Does a Workers’ Comp Claim Affect Future Employment?
Officially, not at all. You are exercising your rights as part of a system designed to help both employers and employees. Retaliation by your current employer because you exercised these rights is strictly prohibited under the law. In addition, it is impermissible for a future potential employer to deny you employment because you previously filed a workers’ compensation claim.
However, while asking about your claim directly may be illegal, a prospective employer may become aware of this information in other ways. For example, if that previous injury may impact your ability to perform your prospective job functions, you should not keep this information secret. If you say you can perform a work function but you can’t, that may give the new employer grounds to deny your claim if you get hurt while performing that task.
Does Your Workers’ Comp Claim Show Up on a Background Check?
Yes, your workers’ comp claim may show up as part of a background check. While an employer may not ask about your workers’ comp history directly, it is perfectly acceptable for them to run a background check to assess your suitability for employment. For this reason, you may decide that complete transparency throughout the process is the best overall approach.
Do You Need a Lawyer for a Workers’ Comp Settlement?
It depends, which is why we urge you to claim your free case evaluation. Certainly, if your injuries are severe, you should prepare for some obstacles as you seek full compensation. Remember that a for-profit insurance company has a different agenda than your own. Their primary goal is profit, not necessarily fairness. Are you going to rely on them to make you aware of all benefits you may be entitled to? An attorney is your advocate and is looking out for your interests.
Don’t Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Henderson Have Their Own Agendas, Too?
Our agenda is to seek maximum compensation for our clients as quickly as possible. We are proud to help our workers’ compensation clients on a contingency fee basis. That means we don’t want and don’t get an attorney’s fee if we can’t get compensation for you.2 It also means that we make more money if we get more money for our clients, unlike an insurance company – which keeps more money when they pay out less. We believe in ourselves and we believe in our clients.
Meet Frankie from Henderson: When the insurance company low-balled her on her workers’ comp claim, she told them she meant business.
What Do Henderson Workers’ Comp Lawyers Do?
So what does a lawyer do for you that you can’t do for yourself?
First and foremost following an injury is your health. One of the best things a Henderson workers’ compensation attorney does is let you focus on your recovery while they handle your case.
Read More: Do I Need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney?
One of our Henderson workers’ compensation lawyers can help you:
- Navigate a tricky process
- Keep track of deadlines
- Level the playing field with the insurance company
- Fight for your preferred medical care
- Seek maximum compensation
- Watch for employer retaliation
- Evaluate any settlement offers
Your attorney is trained to do this and does this every day.
See How Berniece Fought Back: “I was very pleased with the outcome of my case.”1
Can James Scott Farrin Help Me Level the Playing Field With the Insurance Company?
Yes. Several of our attorneys are North Carolina State Bar Board-Certified Specialists in workers’ comp. These attorneys have additional education and training in workers’ compensation law.
Our firm was also recognized as a “Best Law Firm” in the greater Raleigh area by U.S. News – Best Lawyers for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.3
Need Someone in Your Corner? How We Helped Jack Level the Playing Field
Protect your rights and your future. To claim your free case evaluation, contact us online or call us at 1-866-900-7078. You may also make an in-person appointment at our Henderson office. The clock is ticking!
3 For information regarding standards for inclusion, visit usnews.com.
