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Injuries are a fairly common occurrence among airline ground workers. According to the Flight Safety Foundation, approximately 27,000 accidents and incidents – one per 1,000 departures – occur every year worldwide, and about 243,000 people are injured in these accidents and incidents annually. Human error is the primary cause of these incidents, with approximately 92 percent of accidents traced to failure to follow procedures, inadequate training and airfield congestion. These numbers will come as no surprise to United Airlines ground workers, such as baggage handlers, mechanics and ground crew employees, who work in the intense atmosphere of busy Washington D.C., New York, Denver or Los Angeles airports.

Every time an aircraft lands, airport ground workers are under pressure to get that plane turned around and back in service as quickly as possible. Ground workers, equipment and vehicles are in constant motion around the aircraft, working to manage cargo and baggage, perform aircraft inspections and maintenance, and get the plane refueled, cleaned and restocked for its next flight. Adding to that pressure is the fact that, over the past decade, ground workers have had to adjust to completing these tasks with fewer workers, as cash-strapped airlines have reduced staffing levels. Additionally, in many cases, experienced workers have been replaced by less experienced and lower paid employees. At the same time, regulations passed in 2010 impose fines on airlines when passengers are kept waiting on the tarmac for more than three hours, increasing pressure on ground workers for fast aircraft turnarounds.

These factors create an atmosphere in which employees serving in support positions, like mechanics, baggage handlers, and ground crew team members, may feel pressured by supervisors to let safety procedures slip a little in the interest of speed. A hard-pressed baggage handler may not wait for a spotter or a mechanic may a short cut, worried not just about the airline schedule, but also about satisfying demanding supervisors and keeping their jobs. Of course, these decisions, made under pressure in a split second, are ones that can lead to those human error accidents.

Since workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, injured United Airlines ground workers are entitled to compensation, even if a failure to follow procedures plays a role in that injury. However, under some circumstances, claiming benefits in cases where the employee bears some responsibility for the accident or injury can be complicated. For instance, in some states, benefits awarded to an injured worker can be reduced if it is determined that the employee did not follow safety procedures, or workers may be awarded higher rates of compensation if they can show that employers or supervisors encouraged corner-cutting on safety or failed to provide proper equipment or training.

If you are a United Airlines ground worker who has been injured in the aircraft turn-around rush, high-pressure working conditions may play an important role in your case. Hiring a skilled workers’ compensation attorney who is experienced with the unique circumstances of airline employment is the best way to ensure that your side of the story is considered as liability issues are sorted out, increasing your chances of receiving just compensation for your injuries.

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United Airlines employees can spend a lot of time away from home. It’s the nature of the job. Social media platforms make it much easier to stay close to family and friends. A flight attendant or pilot living in Washington DC can feel like they’re barely missing a beat of the evening chatter with the kids, even if they’re laying over in Denver that night and San Francisco the next. However, in the event of a work injury, social media outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, and the like are not the places to discuss details. If that injury results in a claim or court court case, what is said can be taken out of context and used against you.

Privacy settings on social media sites can lull users into a false sense of security. For people with careers that take them away from home regularly, such as United Airlines pilots or flight attendants, social networking sites can become the primary means used to discuss the details of family life or have personal discussions with close friends. After all, nobody but their select group of friends or contacts can see those postings or personal messages right? Unfortunately, that assumption has been proven wrong time and time again. The fact is, information posted on these sites, even by users who set strict limitations on access, can become very public in ways that most users would never expect.

In today’s world, with better than half of all adults participating in some form of social networking, sites like Facebook and Twitter have become a treasure-trove of information on people and their lives. It has become fairly routine for defense attorneys and insurance companies to mine social media sites for information on claimants. Employees who file workers’ compensation or personal injury claims against major corporations like United Airlines would be wise to err on the side of caution and assume that anything posted on social media will be scrutinized by those who will be opposing their claim.

Additionally, it is important to know that even the most innocent posts or pictures can be used to cast doubt in injury cases. For example, a New York United Airlines flight attendant on leave due to an on-the job injury may finally have time to post pictures taken during last year’s vacation trip or a softball game played months before. Should those pictures be viewed by defense attorneys, case investigators or insurance adjusters, they could be used to insinuate that the claimant has been involved with activities that are inconsistent with the injuries claimed.

While the claimant may be able to prove, eventually, that those pictures were taken well before the injury date, the controversy can create unnecessary complications and delays. Also, under some circumstances, pictures and postings available on public profiles can lead to a claimant being compelled by the court to provide access to private areas of that profile, increasing chances postings being taken out of context and used to damage the claimant’s credibility.

The bottom line is this: Anything placed on the internet can become public. United Airlines workers who have been injured on the job would be best served by staying clear of social media until their claims have been resolved. For those who will not give up social networking altogether, at the very least, do not discuss the details of injuries or legal issues surrounding them on the internet, not even in private postings.

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It can be important for an United Airlines employee to discuss an injury during a layover with an attorney. As demonstrated by numerous cases, including that of a flight attendant bitten by a spider while sleeping in a hotel during a layover, a Los Angeles flight attendant may be eligible for workers’ compensation. Understanding how the concept of “course and scope of employment” applies to layover injuries is essential to taking the best course of action in this type of situation.

Workers’ compensation benefits are provided to employees who are injured in the course and scope of employment. There are some key differences in the way that concept is applied to the circumstances of traveling workers, such as United Airlines flight attendants, and typical, fixed place employees. The range of circumstances that can be considered as within the course and scope of employment is much broader for traveling employees, allowing them to be compensated for injuries that would typically be denied had they occurred in a worker with a fixed place of employment.

After-hours injuries or accidents that occur during travel to and from the job are not covered in fixed place employees. However, if a Los Angeles flight attendant is injured in a hotel or restaurant during a layover in Chicago or while in route to one, those injuries may well be compensable. Generally, workers who are traveling on behalf of their employers are regarded as acting within the course of employment throughout the entire period of travel. Procuring food and shelter are considered incidents of employment in the case of traveling employees, and injuries sustained during the course of these activities are typically covered by workers’ compensation.

For example, a flight attendant who was injured on a layover due to a spider bite that occurred as she slept in a hotel room was deemed eligible for compensation and that decision was affirmed on appeal. While the flight attendant was not actively engaged in work-related activity at the time of the injury, the incident was determined to be within the scope and course of employment, as she was required, for employment purposes, to stay at the hotel in the layover city and was on call when the injury occurred.

Additionally, under some circumstances, flight attendants can receive workers’ compensation benefits for layover injuries that occur during social or leisure activities. In one such case, a Los Angeles flight attendant was injured during a sight-seeing excursion while on layover in Puerto Rico. Initially, her claim was denied, but that decision was reversed on appeal. The court found that the activity was a reasonably expected or anticipated event incident to her employer’s requirement that she spend time away from home.

Layover injuries can often turn into complex cases when flight attendants pursue workers’ compensation benefits. Many gray areas exist in terms of exactly what circumstances can be deemed within the scope and course of employment of a traveling employee. For this reason, it is in the best interests of United Airlines employees to consult an experienced workers’ compensation attorney when layover injuries occur to ensure that these cases are handled to their best advantage.

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It is not an uncommon experience for an injury that seems minor to gradually worsen over the course of a couple of hours or even a few days. However, in the case of a San Francisco pilot or flight attendant, this fairly common occurrence can be problematic if it involves a work related injury. According to United Airlines regulations, an injury that is not reported within their very specific time frame may not be eligible for workers’ compensation or other benefits. As any airline worker injury lawyer knows, reporting of all, even minor, injuries is important.

It is quite natural not to want to make a claim for every little bump or bruise, or to feel like a minor injury doesn’t need to be reported. Nobody wants to be seen as a complainer. However, that light ankle sprain can actually be a minor fracture that grows worse as weight continues to be put on it. A small scratch can turn into a serious infection. A slightly painful pulled muscle can turn into a debilitating event. Burns are notorious for worsening over time. A San Francisco flight attendant that gets what seems to be a minor injury in New York can be in serious pain by the time that United Airlines flight attendant returns to San Francisco.

The United Airlines flight attendant manual has very specific guidelines for when and how injuries must be reported. A supervisor must be notified immediately. Within 24 hours, a detailed, written injury report must be filed. That report must explain each element of the circumstances surrounding the injury, including the plane type and number. That report must also include a list of witnesses to the injury, as well as their contact information. This information is required in the event that there is eventually a workers’ compensation claim, as it will have to be thoroughly investigated before any monies are paid out.

In order to be deemed an eligible injury, the San Francisco airline worker must seek medical treatment for that injury within 72 hours of making the initial injury report. And, here is where the protection of reporting each injury lies. If a minor injury is reported, and as time passes, it grows worse, and it becomes apparent that it is not as minor as originally thought, the window of opportunity to have it treated as a work related injury eligible for workers compensation if necessary is still there. If that seemingly minor injury had not been reported within the 24 hour time period, everything would become much more difficult to resolve.

Complying with the United Airlines immediate injury reporting requirements, even for minor injuries, is an important source of protection for a San Francisco pilot or flight attendant. Sometimes injuries are not what they seem at first. Failing to make that initial injury report can make it much more difficult to obtain the compensation deserved for an injury that occurs on the job. If there are any questions about whether or not an injury needs to be reported or, like layover injuries, is considered to be an on the job injury, or a problem with the process, consult an experienced airline injury lawyer, to ensure that no mistakes that could preclude benefits are made.

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A San Francisco airline worker making their first United Airlines injury claim may find the process quite daunting. There are time sensitive forms to be filled out and phone calls to make, all while in the midst of dealing with the pain and treatment of the injury itself. According to information from an United Airlines handbook addressing occupational injury procedures, failure to meet these requirements can result in a reduction of benefits or even result in a claim being denied. Consulting an attorney for assistance with the process can be helpful in making sure that everything goes as smoothly as it should.

Injury Notification

A work related injury must be reported immediately, even if a San Francisco airline worker is injured on the job in Washington DC. That can be done in person or by telephone, but it is supposed to be done right away. This is important because all United Airlines injury claims are investigated thoroughly before workers’ compensation benefits are approved. In addition to the verbal notification, there will be formal forms to fill out, describing the incident in detail and providing witness contact information. A San Francisco United Airlines flight attendant is required to send this written report in within 24 hours.

Treatment Reports

In addition to the initial injury reporting, it is also necessary to provide information about treatment, immediate and ongoing. As explained by the United Airlines handbook, an injured airline worker must see a doctor within 72 hours. The injured worker will have to ask the doctor to fill out an Employee Status Form, which will have to be turned in within 24 hours on that initial visit. All following visits relating to the treatment of the injury will also require the filling out of an Employee Status Form, and those will need to be turned in within 48 hours of the visit. Benefits may be delayed, decreased, or denied if those steps are not followed.

Compliance Is Required

There are also a number of forms and phone calls that must be made by a San Francisco airline worker injured on the job in order to maintain compliance with the investigation process. In addition to complying with the investigation process, an injured employee is expected to coordinate treatment with United Airlines medical department, and comply with all recommended treatments. Each step of the reporting, investigating, and treatment process and paperwork must be met with compliance and completely in a timely fashion.

Mistakes Can Be Costly

In the aftermath of an injury, especially a severe injury, it can be difficult to make sure that all of the steps and documentation are done on time and correctly. The paperwork and overall claim process can seem a bit overwhelming. Mistakes in making a benefit claim can be costly. That is why many San Francisco airline employees injured on the job choose to consult a lawyer. An experienced professional can help to ensure that the just compensation due after an injury at work is obtained.

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On occasion, as with any large industry, an United Airlines employee is injured by a co-worker during work. One incident, reported by New Jersey’s Star-Ledger on January 20, 2013, resulted in serious injury to an airline worker, who was pinned by a baggage cart after the cart was struck by a food service supply vehicle driven by another worker. This is the type of workplace injury situation that a New York United Airlines employee is best served by speaking with a lawyer as soon as possible, as liability and compensation in these sorts of cases can be complex. Initial statements regarding the circumstances of the injury can matter a great deal.

Circumstances Can Affect Liability

Sometimes, an accident is just that – an accident – and the standard procedures for dealing with compensation for an on the job injury are sufficient. However, that is not always the case and liability can expand beyond the usual workers’ compensation available for people hurt at work. Sometimes, an airline employee can be injured by a co-worker through the negligence of that co-worker. If the co-worker was impaired by drugs or alcohol, or was behaving in a reckless manner, for example, that could constitute negligence under the law and could affect liability.

Another scenario that could affect liability is if, for example, it was well known that a particular employee did sometimes come to work impaired or behave recklessly, depending on specifics, it could be determined that the employer was negligent by putting other employees at risk of harm from that employee. There are many factors to consider in cases involving a person being injured by a co-worker, making legal advice important to obtaining a just outcome.

State Regulations Can Vary

Some states have different regulations when it comes to handling co-employee negligence liability cases, so a Washington DC airline employee may have a different experience than a Denver airline employee injured by a co-worker. In some states and work injury situations, co-workers are protected against personal liability lawsuits when the injury happens during the scope of employment. Even in states with those limitations, however, negligence proven under the law can result in the co-worker having some liability assigned.

Just The Facts

It is essential to be truthful in all statements regarding a New York airline employee injury, and to take a just the facts sort of approach. It is often almost second nature to try to protect a co-worker, because often co-workers are friends, and to use language that, while stating facts, also seeks to produce a certain perception of the event, deflecting blame from a co-worker or offering reasons why the co-worker’s actions resulted in an injury. That can be problematic if it becomes necessary to establish liability later, such as in circumstances where the injury results in a long-term disability. Speak with an experienced lawyer before filling out documents if possible. If not, be very circumspect in the description of how the injury occurred, offering just facts, not explanations or reasons.

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