Charlotte Workplace Head Injuries Lawyers
If a loved one suffered a head injury or brain injury at work in the Charlotte region, compensation may be available. You may be able to get compensated for medical bills, loss of income, and other expenses by filing a workers’ compensation claim. However, it is imperative that you have support and guidance from an experienced attorney throughout this process.
In many cases, benefits are improperly denied or delayed. Even in the absence of these obstacles, it is often difficult for injury victims and their families to successfully apply North Carolina’s complicated workers’ compensation laws.
Our accomplished team of attorneys has obtained favorable case outcomes for over 1,000 clients, and is ready to work for the same results on your behalf. We frequently consult with medical experts, forensic accountants, accident reconstruction experts, and economists to determine how accidents happened and what compensation is appropriate. We then craft a strategy tailored to your case, and work efficiently toward the goal of obtaining compensation for you.
Getting compensated for a work-related injury is a difficult process full of pitfalls. Make sure you have a tough legal representative fighting in your corner. For a free and confidential legal consultation, contact our Charlotte workers’ compensation law firm at (877) 576-5500 today.
Work-Related Head Injuries are More Common Than You Might Think
A head injury is among the worst and most serious types of injuries that an employee can sustain in a Charlotte workplace accident. Whether caused by physical trauma, chemical exposure, oxygen deprivation, or other sources of injury, the slightest damage to brain tissue can result in permanent and debilitating cognitive impairment that renders the victim unable to live independently. Even in cases of comparatively minor injury, such as a mild concussion, disruptive symptoms can persist for months or even years.
Traumatic Brain Injuries that Occur at Work
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 2.8 million people visited emergency departments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment during 2013. While only a small fraction of annual TBIs occur in the workplace — anywhere from about 4% to 7% of all TBIs nationwide, according to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries — that still equates to thousands of injuries each year, many in workplaces located here in North Carolina.
TBI can occur for many reasons. However, accidental falls are one of the most common causes of TBI in the workplace, whether falls from heights or slip and fall accidents. According to CDC brain injury statistics, “In 2013, falls were the leading cause of TBI. Falls accounted for 47% of all TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States.”
Falls are a leading cause, but not the only cause, of head injuries on the job. Other accidents or factors that can lead to workplace brain injuries include:
- Company Car Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Crane Accidents
- Defective Equipment or Machinery
- Exposure to Toxins
- Falling Object Strikes
- Forklift Accidents
- Near-Drowning (Submersion Injuries)
- Poor Working Conditions
Charlotte Workplace Head Injury Attorneys
A severe head injury or brain injury can cause an array of debilitating effects, including impaired memory, impaired speech, impaired decision-making abilities, paralysis, numbness, chronic pain, and other physical and cognitive impairments. In extreme cases, the victim may require around-the-clock supervision or assistance, in addition to ongoing medical care. Workers’ compensation can help to cover your expenses, so that you do not have to worry about financial hardship from your loved one’s injury.
How to Get Workers’ Compensation for a Head or Brain Injury in North Carolina
When an employee is injured at work in North Carolina, he or she is typically precluded from filing a lawsuit against his or her employer. However, there are some cases where suing an employer for injury is possible. For instance, you may be able to sue your employer if he or she intentionally caused your head injury or brain injury. Otherwise, it may be possible to sue an external party, such as the manufacturer of a defective industrial product, for injuries caused by defective equipment or machinery. These types of lawsuits are known as “product liability” lawsuits.
Though lawsuits are sometimes appropriate, an injured worker generally pursues compensation by filing a workers’ compensation claim with assistance from an attorney. But what is workers’ compensation, and who is covered?
Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that provides coverage for employees who are injured at the job site, or during the course of their job duties. For example, if a construction worker suffers a brain injury after being struck on the head by a falling object at a construction site, he or she could be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits.
The majority of North Carolina businesses are required, in accordance with the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act, to provide workers’ compensation for employees who are hurt while performing their work duties. This requirement broadly applies to partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies (LLCs) with a minimum of three employees, though several exceptions apply. If you work for a company with at least two other employees, you are likely covered by workers’ compensation.
In order to receive workers’ compensation benefits, which are available for medical expenses, disability, and lost income, you need to report the injury to your employer as soon as possible. However, be wary of any industrial or occupational work injury clinic your employer directs you to.
These clinics tend to be biased in favor of employers, to the detriment of employees who are simply trying to get fairly compensated for serious, sometimes permanently disabling injuries. In order to maximize your likelihood of being compensated fairly and adequately, it is critically important to involve an experienced Charlotte work head injury lawyer as early in the process as possible.
For a free and completely confidential legal consultation, call the Ramsay Law Firm at (704) 376-1616.
