Injured Gate Agents
Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Helping Chicago Employees
The airline industry is an extremely stressful and dangerous industry. Gate agents may face numerous hazards in the terminal, on the tarmac, and in the aircraft. Injuries can arise under many different conditions. If you are an injured gate agent who was hurt on the job, you may be able to recover workers’ compensation benefits. While your work injuries may have occurred with witnesses present, an insurer may still partially or fully deny your claim. It can be wise to retain an experienced Chicago workers’ compensation attorney to help you assert your rights.
Injured Gate Agents
Often gate agents work at airport boarding gates where passengers are getting on their flights or being dropped off from arriving planes. They may have a wide range of duties including providing boarding announcements, assigning seats, helping with customer service duties, handling standby passengers, and monitoring doors while passengers are boarding or disembarking. Usually all these duties must be done with a pleasant demeanor, as a large premium is placed on the passengers’ expectation of customer service.
However, this environment is hectic and fast-paced, and there often isn’t much time to take a break or rest. Gate agents may work in the midst of moving vehicles and airplanes. They may need to lift heavy freight or baggage, help disabled passengers, or assist with aircraft towing.
Often injured gate agents suffer injuries from all the lifting, twisting, pushing, and pulling that can be part of their jobs. They may suffer neck, back, shoulder, arm, and tendon injuries. They may also be exposed to toxins or the possibility of head injuries from slip and falls because of obstacles on the tarmac or the ramp. Additionally, they may face high levels of noise from aircraft, fuel trucks, and baggage handling machinery. Sometimes high levels of work stress can result in stroke, diabetes, or heart disease.
Workers’ Compensation Law
Injured gate agents have rights under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. This law requires that a worker injured in the course of employment be given medical benefits. To qualify, the injury must arise out of the work the claimant is required to do, and there must have been proper notice given. Notice has to be given to your employer within 45 days of the accident. You only have three years from the date of your injury as a gate agent to file a workers’ compensation claim. An experienced work injury lawyer can help you make sure you are meeting any applicable filing deadlines.
Benefits
Benefits to which you may be entitled under the workers’ compensation law include medical benefits, disability benefits, and vocational rehabilitation benefits. Medical benefits may include medications, medical equipment, doctors’ visits, emergency care, and therapy. Disability benefits are paid if you are prevented from working for at least three days. There are four kinds of disability payments: temporary partial disability, temporary total disability, permanent partial disability, and permanent total disability. The amount you can be paid under each category varies in part based on your average weekly wage. If you’re a gate agent who was hit by a vehicle on the tarmac and suffer two broken legs and you cannot work for several months as a result, your temporary total disability benefits would be 2/3 of your average weekly wage after you miss three days of work because due to your broken bones.
Sometimes an average weekly wage is complicated to calculate. The more pay you include in the calculation, the larger your disability benefits usually are, though there are maximum limits imposed by state law.
Denial of a Claim
If your workers’ compensation claim is denied or you have a dispute with the insurer about the benefits, you can file a claim with the commission that oversees the workers’ compensation system in Illinois. You should ask for the hearing within 3 years of becoming disabled or within 2 years from the date you were last paid compensation.
Chicago Attorneys Representing Employees With Workers’ Compensation Claims
If you are a Chicago gate agent who has suffered injuries on the job, you should consider retaining a workers’ compensation lawyer. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, we represent injured workers in Rockford, Springfield, Aurora, Quincy, and Champaign, as well as Cook, Sangamon, Adams, Champaign, Winnebago, and Kane Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846, or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.