By: Michael Rose
This past year we have been successful in many cases for workers who were injured in the course of the employment due to third-party negligence. “Third Party” means that someone other than the injured party’s employer was legally responsible for their injuries. When someone is injured during their employment, they are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Because the worker gets these benefits, they can not bring a lawsuit against their employer. They can claim against a legally responsible third party other than their employer. This entitles them to damages for their pain and suffering, permanency of their injury, full lost wages and benefits, and future medical expenses. These damages are not recognized through the limited benefits of the worker’s compensation system.
Awards We Recovered Due to Third-Party Negligence
Examples of these recoveries are a $13,000,000 jury verdict for a painter who fell from a ladder, a $6,000,000 jury verdict for a health care worker, a $3,475,000 settlement for a construction supervisor who fell from a makeshift ladder, and $1,175,000 for an office cleaning person who was injured when improperly stacked soda bottles fell on her. Often, attorneys do not recognize a client’s ability to bring a third-party lawsuit when a person is injured during their employment. Attorneys experienced in understanding these nuances can mean the difference between an injured person struggling to pay their bills or being financially secure for the rest of their lives.