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​Experienced ILLINOIS Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
& CHICAGO Injury Lawyers

Amazon Flex Drivers with Broken Bones

Chicago Lawyers for Workers’ Compensation Claims

When you began working for Amazon Flex, you may have signed a document acknowledging that you’re an independent contractor. Some companies misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid paying certain employment benefits, including workers’ compensation insurance. Amazon Flex does not have the last word on whether you’re an employee. Workers are presumed to be employees in Illinois. Amazon Flex drivers with broken bones from work accidents should talk to the experienced Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We may be able to represent you in a workers’ compensation claim.

Broken Bones

Bones form the body’s skeleton. They permit people to interact with their environment and withstand gravity. Bones can bend a bit when pressure is applied. However, bones may fracture or break when too much pressure is applied, as in a violent car crash. The location and severity of the injury may affect whether you are able to continue driving.

There are many different types of fractures, including transverse fractures, oblique fractures, spiral fractures, comminuted fractures, green stick fractures, and open fractures.

Amazon Flex Drivers with Broken Bones

Amazon Flex drivers with broken bones from a job-related accident may be able to recover workers’ compensation benefits. It’s important to notify Amazon Flex about your injury right away. You have 45 days from the date of your accident to report your injuries to the supervisor or manager at Amazon Flex. Providing notification in writing prevents Amazon Flex from denying that it was never given notice. You should be accurate and honest in your account of what happened. If you misstate the reason for your broken bones or exaggerate the extent to which broken bones have disabled you, an insurance adjuster will be suspicious.

An insurer may conduct surveillance on a claimant if it suspects the person is malingering. This surveillance may be online or in person. The purpose of the surveillance is to gather evidence to show an arbitrator that you are not disabled or have not been as affected by the injury as claimed. It’s important to be aware surveillance is possible, follow your doctors’ recommendations, and be honest about your injuries.

Benefits

If you can establish that your broken bones were job-related, you may be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits including medical expenses, temporary total disability pay, permanent total disability pay and vocational rehabilitation.

You can recover reasonable and necessary medical expenses for work-related broken bones. Depending on the severity of the injury, your physician may recommend a cast, splint, medication, traction, or even surgery. If the doctor prescribes an expensive treatment, the insurer will have a greater incentive to conduct a very thorough investigation, both into the severity of the injury and the cause of the broken bones.

Temporary total disability benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage. The methods of calculating the average weekly wage can differ. A workers’ compensation lawyer can verify the disability benefits to which you are entitled and represent you in any workers’ compensation hearings.

Third-Party Lawsuits

If your broken bones were the result of an accident caused by negligent driver, you may be able to bring a personal injury lawsuit against the driver. You’ll need to show that the driver did not act reasonably given the circumstances on the road, and that its unreasonable actions caused your broken bones. Unlike with workers’ compensation claims, if you can establish the other driver’s fault, you can recover not only economic losses but also noneconomic losses like pain and suffering. Additionally, your own damages may be reduced under a theory of comparative negligence, if the other driver can show you were partially or fully to blame for your injuries.

Consult a Seasoned Chicago Attorney

If you suffered broken bones at work, you should talk to the experienced Chicago lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We also represent Amazon Flex drivers with workers’ compensation claims in Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, and Aurora, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.