The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reported that one in ten construction site workers are injured every year. Further, construction site injuries can grow quite severe, leaving injured workers with debilitating temporary and permanent injuries. If you were suffered in a construction zone, it’s critical to contact an experienced injury lawyer now to help secure the compensation you deserve.
What to do Immediately After an Injury?
The most important thing for you to do after suffering a construction site injury is to get medical help as soon as practically possible. This is true even if you don’t believe you experienced a significant injury. People can sometimes experience serious medical issues with little to no initial pain/discomfort.
Seeking medical attention is important to your health. It’s also significant because it helps generate medical records in your case. These records will serve as valuable evidence to help show:
- The severity of your injury
- The extent of your medical expenses and damages
- Your injury was work-related
What About Filing an L&I Claim?
Once you receive medical help, you can then focus on filing an injury claim with Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). After a construction injury, you and your doctor will file a Report of Accident with the L&I Department. The filing of this report represents the filing of your workers’ compensation claim. Once the report is filed, you’ll typically hear back from L&I within a few weeks about the status of your claim.
Please keep in mind that workers’ compensation is a no-fault insurance program. This means you don’t have to show that anyone caused your injury – including your employer or a co-worker. All you have to prove is that you were injured and experienced your injury on the job, or in the course of your employment.
What Benefits are There?
Workers that receive a construction site accident can recover the following benefits if successful in filing an L&I claim:
- Medical expenses
- Wage replacement
- Vocational benefits or return-to-work help
- Disability or pensions for the severely injured
As to wage replacement, compensation often depends on the type of injury you experienced. Workers’ compensation laws set forth four categories of disability or injuries. These include:
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD), which is an injury that renders a worker unable to return to work for a limited amount of time.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD), which is an injury that limits a worker from performing some, but not all, of their work duties for a limited amount of time.
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD), which is an injury that renders a person unable to return to the workforce, no matter if the return is for your current employer or another employer.
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD), which is an injury that partially impairs a worker’s ability to work in the future.
Contact Otorowski Morrow & Golden, PLLC
Please know that our firm is here to help if you’ve suffered a construction site or work injury. Our attorneys are more than ready to help you file an L&I claim on your behalf to help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Please know that Otorowski Morrow & Golden, PLLC provides free consultations to all our potential clients. Further, the attorneys at our law firm have over 120 years of combined experience. Do yourself a favor and contact them now for the quality legal assistance you deserve.