On the 11th of October 2012, Jose Melena (62) was working as usual at Bumble Bee’s plant in Santa Fe. He entered a 35-foot-long oven to load it with canned tuna. His coworkers did not know that he was inside the oven when they loaded it with 12,000 pounds of canned tuna, inadvertently trapping him in the back. Two hours later, another coworker turned off the oven. Jose Melena was found dead after being slow-cooked for two hours.
Raw Numbers
The total number of injuries per 100 full-time workers sits at 2.8, according to the BLS’s Employer-Related Workplace Injuries and Illnesses News Release published on the 4th of November, 2020. While the numbers are not increasing, they are not decreasing either. The number has remained pegged since 2018. Employees need to know their legal rights regarding worker’s compensation. In case of a workplace injury or workplace accident, employees need to look into hiring a compensation lawyer.
Here are five reasons why employees need to hire a workers compensation attorney when there is an accident at work;
Determining eligibility for a workers compensation benefit
Sad as it is, not everyone is eligible for a compensation benefit when there is an accident at work. The first concern of a worker’s compensation lawyer is to determine if the employee is entitled to a workers compensation. It is the first step in the process.
Knowledge of the law (Do not discount specialist knowledge)
The law of worker’s compensation can be hard to understand. Employees need the knowledge of a workers compensation attorney if there is an accident at work. Compensation lawyers can break down the laws and help employees understand their legal rights when there is an injury at work.
Workers compensation lawyers can help to determine what is fair
Work injury lawyers have the experience and know-how to determine what is fair when employees suffer work-related injuries. Insurance companies and employers can cheat employees out of a fair Workcover claim if they do not understand what is fair/what they deserve. One of the benefits of hiring a worker’s compensation lawyer is that they will help employees push for what they see as fair compensation.
Free Consultations
One reason to consult a worker’s compensation lawyer is that the first consultation is usually free. This allows individuals who have suffered work-related injuries to talk to professionals who can advise them on the first step to receive their Workcover claim. These free consultations mean that there is no financial loss for the employee.
Recover from your injury, outsource your stress to the pros
After sustaining a workplace injury, it can be stressful running around trying to get compensation for a workplace injury. With a worker’s compensation lawyer, employees can outsource the stress to pros while they focus on recovering from their injury.
In conclusion
In an ideal world, everyone would be entitled to worker’s compensation if there is a work accident. However, in a world of capitalism and stringent insurance companies, things are not ideal. A worker’s compensation lawyer like Regan Zambri Long is needed to help workers get what they deserve after suffering an injury at work.
They determine if the employee is eligible for compensation. The lawyers also start the process of claiming the benefits, and they determine what is fair. They are usually knowledgeable about the paperwork and the legal requirements involved. Worker’s compensation lawyers fight to make sure employees receive the workers’ compensation benefits they deserve as soon as possible.
