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​Experienced ILLINOIS Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
& CHICAGO Injury Lawyers

Ford Assembly Workers Injured by Safety Violations

Workers’ Compensation Firm for Safety Violations in the Transportation Industry

When you work for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), you are working for an entity that provides mass transit within Chicago and some of its suburbs. Sadly, there are certain dangers associated with working in connection with transportation. As a CTA worker charged with moving more than a million passengers daily, you face risks on the job. While there are safety regulations and standards in place, these regulations, intended to protect worker and passenger safety, are sometimes violated. If you are a CTA worker who was injured by safety violations, you should discuss your situation with the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We are an AV-rated firm with 60 years of experience fighting to ensure workers are able to obtain compensation after suffering injuries. We understand the risks you face and have dedicated ourselves to fighting for workers and others who need compensation after an accident.

CTA Workers Injured by Safety Violations

The CTA, which is an independent governmental agency, may be held accountable for the losses occasioned by its employees suffering injury in a work accident. On-the-job risks can lead to physical injuries like blunt force trauma, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, broken bones and fractures, spinal cord damage, lacerations, and occupational illnesses from exposure to toxic materials. You may face the risks of accidents caused by other vehicles. For instance, as the driver of a CTA bus, if you are in a vehicle accident in which a large vehicle hits the front of the bus, you may have catastrophic injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, for which you may need to pursue damages in a third-party lawsuit.

However, you also face the risks created by safety violations. For example, if you are cleaning a bus air filter and get your hand caught in the air conditioner compressor belt and pulley because they were not adequately maintained, you could face amputation of your fingers or hand, and find yourself unable to work. For another example, if an inspection does not occur, you may find yourself working with tools that are defective. There may be noncompliant safety equipment. Even though jobs with the CTA carry huge responsibilities and may take place at odd hours or in isolation during early morning or night shifts, you could be harmed by inadequate training or supervision.

Chicago Claims

If you are injured due to a safety violation in connection with your work for the CTA, you may be wondering what your recourse is. The CTA receives thousands of claims. It is self-insured and handles all claims for injuries with its own examiners. In other words, CTA is approved to pay claims directly; they do not need to obtain outside insurance.

Like insurers, however, CTA may protect its own reserves when faced with a claim. It may deny your claim or try to make sure you don’t receive the full treatment or time off you need to get better after a work accident. It may try to get you to see a company doctor that it knows tends to be conservative in treatment recommendations. Your benefits may be withheld, even though you have years of loyal service to the CTA behind you. In that case, you will be in an adversarial posture with your employer. It is imperative to seek representation from knowledgeable lawyers.

Workers’ compensation benefits to which you may be entitled include:

  • Medical care.
  • Partial wage replacement in the form of temporary or permanent disability benefits.
  • Vocational rehabilitation.
  • Medical mileage.

These are no-fault benefits. You should be able to get them even if your own safety violations are what resulted in the work accident. However, while the workers’ compensation system was intended to make it easier for injured workers to obtain compensation, in practice, it can be as challenging as it would be to pursue a third-party lawsuit in which fault must be proven.

Attorneys for Third-Party Lawsuits

If you were injured at your CTA job as a result of a third party’s actions, you may be able to recover the full compensation, including damages for emotional losses, you need in connection with these injuries. Our lawyers will need to establish a non-employer’s negligence or another type of fault to recover damages on your behalf. When a safety violation is committed by a third party, in other words, it can be evidence of negligence that entitles you to damages.

Hire a Law Firm That Represents CTA Workers

As a CTA worker injured on the job, you may be concerned about safety violations that led to your work accident. Our Chicago attorneys handle claims against the CTA 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.