were you injured on the job?

Construction and other work-related accidents account for thousands injuries to workers every day in the New York Metro area.  These cases involve construction site falls, scaffolding collapses, heavy machinery accidents, exposure to toxic chemicals and repetitive strain injuries.

Employees are often injured in work-related accidents by dangers and defects at work, or by their substandard working conditions, and are entitled to compensation for their medical expenses and lost wages, as well as a limited sum for permanent disability (scheduled loss). Workers compensation is a state-required insurance program intended to compensate injured workers for medical expenses and time off work, regardless of whether the worker was at fault for the injury.  The system was put in place to ensure workers are quickly covered for medical expenses and wages but this system does not provide for fair or adequate compensation for pain and suffering, which may last for years beyond scheduled retirement. However, changes in the law place a ten year cap on future benefits.

Unfortunately, not all injured workers end up being fairly compensated through this government program. Employers generally contract with private insurance companies for their worker’s compensation coverage or pay these benefits themselves. And like all businesses, insurance companies and private employers are in the business of making money. They will try to protect their own interests by limiting their pay-outs even though YOU were injured in the course of your employment working hard to profit your employer. That is why you need two types of lawyers with expertise in the worker’s compensation claims field, as well as those experienced in the field of tort law and personal injury.