Alabama Work Injury     Accident My Fault

Alabama Work Injury                      Accident My Fault

I am writing another blog on injuries suffered at work which were actually caused by an accident the employee caused because I just got off the phone with an injured worker who expressed remorse over the prospect of pursuing a workers compensation claim when the injury they suffered was their fault.

There is a part of me that admires this sentiment.  As an attorney, I have had cases in the past where injured persons want ridiculous amounts of money for a slight injury; this puts my profession in a bad light and makes the public suspicious of persons asking for benefits after suffering a job injury.  Having stated this, if through an accident inadvertently caused by yourself you suffered an injury, workers compensation is your sole legal resource to seek treatment and reimbursement for any permanent injury you sustained.

Think about it for a minute.  If you don’t purse workers compensation benefits, what are you going to do?  Put it on your private health insurance?  This is fraud.  Your health insurance provider is not legally obligated to pay for work injuries, and trying to force them to pay your medical expenses is just not right.  Furthermore, if your insurance carrier later finds out that they have been paying for a work injury, they will withdraw the money they have paid your doctors and you will be responsible for these bills.  Can you afford to pay for a surgery out of pocket?

Secondly, workers compensation is set up to help the injured worker get the medical treatment they need so they can get back to work and provide for their family.  The Alabama Legislature wrote that our workers compensation laws have been put in place to help injured workers receive the medical treatment they might otherwise be unable to receive and provide a minimal safety net during your recovery so you can get better and return to work as soon as possible.  The purpose of the law is to help injured workers.

Thirdly, workers compensation is in place to protect both the injured worker and their employer.  Absent your employer almost intentionally trying to hurt you, injured workers cannot sue their employers for negligence if their employer’s negligence leads to their job injury; generally you can’t sue them for punitive damages or seek pain and suffering.  You are limited to workers compensation benefits, and this saves businesses serious money.  Filing for workers compensation benefits is not abusing your employer any more than relying on your automotive liability insurance policy to help pay for repairs to your car when it is damaged in an accident which is your fault is abusive to your insurance carrier .

If you have suffered a work injury and have questions about your right to Alabama Workers’ Compensation benefits, don’t hesitate to contact Powell and Denny and speak with one of the experienced workers compensation lawyers and schedule a free consultation.  Appointments are available in person, or virtually through Zoom for your convenience from wherever you live.

 

Powell and Denny: We Work When You Can’t

Offices in Birmingham, AL and Huntsville, AL

Alabama Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

Birmingham Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Huntsville Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

North Alabama Workers Compensation Lawyers

Powell and Denny have been selected as one of the Best Law Firms by U.S. News and World Report for each of the last 9 years, have been selected as one of Birmingham’s Top Lawyers by B-Metro Magazine for the last 5 years, have been selected by The National Advocates as one of the Top 20 Workers’ Compensation Firms (plaintiffs) and Powell and Denny, P.C.-has been selected as one of the “Best of the Best” law firms by The American Registry.

Mr. Denny is AV rated by Martindale Hubbard (the highest rating possible) and Mr. Powell has been rated as Superior by The National Registry

+ Powell and Denny have successfully represented injured workers from Birmingham, Huntsville, Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, Athens, Decatur, Town Creek Ardmore, Hartselle, Madison, Toney, Scottsboro, Ft. Payne, New Hope, Guntersville, Albertville, Boaz, Ashville, Anniston, Gadsden, Cullman, Jasper, Gardendale, Morris, Kimberly, Centerpoint, Leeds, Tarrant City, Fairfield, Hueytown, Bessemer, Adger, Tuscaloosa, Cordova, Alabaster, Pelham, Harpersville, Opelika, Phenix City, Montgomery, Clanton, Calera, Enterprise, Monroeville, Mobile, Evergreen, Alabaster, Pelham, Trussville and towns and cities in between.

 

Alabama Job Injury                Accident My Fault