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​Experienced ILLINOIS Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
& CHICAGO Injury Lawyers

Initial Claims for Injured FedEx Workers

Chicago Lawyers to Represent You as an Injured FedEx Worker

FedEx delivers packages all across the country with the employment of almost 53,000 truck drivers. These drivers travel hundreds of millions of miles each year. Unfortunately, all that driving can take a grievous toll on the body. If you are a FedEx driver who suffered work-related injuries and needs to make an initial claim, you should call the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have represented injured workers in their claims for more than 60 years.

Initial Claims for Injured FedEx Workers

FedEx drivers can find themselves dealing with a wide range of work-related injuries including:

  • broken bones,
  • fractures,
  • back problems,
  • herniated disks,
  • ligament tears,
  • concussions,
  • traumatic brain injuries,
  • crushing injuries,
  • spinal cord damage,
  • paralysis,
  • whiplash
  • amputations.

FedEx is required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance for its workers. This insurance entitles those workers who are injured on the job to recover certain no-fault benefits. Our attorneys won’t need to prove your employer was negligent to obtain benefits on your behalf. Rather we’ll have to prove you were hurt on the job or while working.

It is important to give FedEx notice of your work-related injuries within 45 days of an accident or developing the injury. Ideally, you give notice as soon as you realize you have a work-related injury so there is less chance that the insurer will be skeptical of whether your claim is work-related. It is wise to provide the notice in writing so that there is no dispute about whether notice was given in a timely manner.

The written notice should specify when you were hurt and what your injuries were. If, for example, you were injured in an accident, you may have provided details in an incident report, but you should be sure to also provide them in your notification to the employer. The employer is supposed to alert its workers’ compensation insurer that you suffered a work-related injury.

It is smart to get an Application for Adjustment of Claim on file with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) even if you start receiving benefits. Sometimes workers’ compensation insurers pay medical and disability benefits right away but continue to investigate and withdraw benefits suddenly, which leaves claimants in a bad place. If our attorneys put an Application on file for you before this happens, the process of getting a hearing is expedited in the event that the insurer denies your claim. We can appear at the routine status hearings on your behalf and then request a hearing if a dispute arises over the claim.

You have 3 years from the date of injury to file your initial claim with the IWCC, but this is separate from the much shorter window of 45 days within which to let FedEx know you have a work-related injury.

Hearings in and Around Chicago

If you receive a denial of your initial claim, we may be able to request a hearing before an arbitrator. During a workers’ compensation hearing, the arbitrator who is assigned the case will be able to hear evidence and arguments from both sides in order to decide about the claim.

In some cases, FedEx workers are asked to attend an independent medical exam (IME) so that the insurer can explore the extent of their injuries. The IME doctor creates a report; our lawyers should have this report with enough time to prepare for the arbitration.

If the outcome of the hearing is not satisfactory, our lawyers will be able to appeal the arbitrator’s decision as appropriate by filing a petition for review within 30 days of the arbitrator’s decision. The appeal will go before a panel of 3 commissioners.

Consult a Seasoned Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Chicago

We represent injured FedEx workers in Aurora, Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Our attorneys are also experienced at handling third party lawsuits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.