Initial Claims of CTA Workers

Chicago Attorneys for CTA Workers

Chicago has an accessible public transit system run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), but its buses and trains sometimes crash, and in the course of that, their operators may suffer serious injuries. The shape and size of buses makes them dangerous even when traveling at low speeds, but it is not only pedestrians or those in cars who can get hurt in accidents. In addition to facing risks from vehicle accidents, CTA workers may also be injured or made sick in other ways, such as in the course of a slip and fall or as a result of repetitive motions that cause injuries like tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. As a CTA worker, you might assume that the CTA understands the dangers of your work and service, and therefore will, of course, provide you with the workers’ compensation benefits you need after you suffer injuries. Unfortunately, this is not always what happens, and you may need legal representation. If you are a CTA worker who was injured on the job, you should call the experienced Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have more than 60 years of experience advocating for workers.

Initial Claims of CTA Workers

As a CTA worker, you may experience significant injuries on the job. These could include traumatic head injuries, lacerations, back injuries, whiplash, paralysis, broken bones, fractures, road rash, and amputations. Tragically, some CTA workers die on the job. Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover their employees’ on-the-job injuries. The insurance is intended to provide benefits regardless of whether a worker or its employer is at fault for those injuries. Your benefits cannot be reduced because of your own negligence.

CTA is self-insured, meaning that it does not pay an outside insurer to adjust its claims. However, like insurance companies, CTA may fight even legitimate claims made by workers.

Notification

After getting injured or made sick on the job, you should notify CTA of your injury or illness. You can’t take for granted that CTA knows of your injuries after an accident. While the CTA may have created an incident report in connection with a serious accident, it is crucial to let your manager know that you were injured, too. You should also let CTA know as soon as possible once you realize that your sickness or a repetitive stress injury has left you unable to work.

You have three years to file a claim with the Commission or two years from the date you last received benefits, whichever date is later. However, you shouldn’t wait more than 45 days to let CTA know that you were injured on the job regardless of whether you plan to file a claim against CTA.

You may start receiving some benefits immediately after you let CTA know of the claim. However, depending on the circumstances, our lawyers may advise that you file an Application for Adjustment of Claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation even if you are receiving benefits, as this will expedite the process of getting a hearing in case you are denied certain benefits or CTA stops paying them.

Once you file an Application for Adjustment of Claim, the Commission will send a notice of hearing that specifies who the arbitrator for your claim is and the date of the first status call. If we represent you, our lawyers can appear for you at the status call; generally, you and CTA will only need to join the status call if a trial is requested or there is a request that an arbitrator act on your claim. After the first one, your case will be set for periodic status calls every 3 months and these periodic calls will occur for the first three years after your claim, at which point it will either need to go to trial or will be dismissed.

Third Party Lawsuit

In addition to filing your initial claim, our Chicago attorneys can look at the facts to determine whether you have grounds to bring a third party lawsuit, as well. Typically, greater compensation can be obtained through a lawsuit for damages than a workers’ compensation claim, but unlike workers’ compensation benefits, whether you can recover damages would depend on our lawyers being able to prove a third party’s fault for your injuries.

Hire a Chicago CTA Claims Law Firm

CTA workers are frequently put at risk on the job. It is crucial to retain legal representation as soon as you realize your injuries are work-related. Our lawyers represent clients in Rockford, Champaign, Quincy, and Aurora, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.