Initial Claims for Road Construction Workers
Chicago Lawyers for Initial Claims for Road Construction Workers
You may assume that your road construction employer will look out for your interests in the event that you are injured on the job. Unfortunately this isn’t always how things play out. Initial claims that are entirely valid are denied by insurers protecting their profits. Sometimes a portion of a claim is denied, while other aspects are accepted. You may find that you receive some benefits prior to an expected denial even though you have catastrophic life-changing injuries, such as a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injuries, because of your job. If you were injured on the job as a road construction worker, you may be concerned about bringing an initial claim. Call the experienced Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have more than 60 years of experience fighting for workers’ entitlements to benefits and have received honors and recognitions for our legal representation of clients.
Initial Claims for Road Construction Workers
The road construction company you work for is required, by law, to procure workers’ compensation insurance in case you or another worker is injured on the job. As an employee, you are entitled to recover benefits for work-related injuries without proving fault, but this is your exclusive remedy against your employer in the event of work injuries.
You should provide the company notice that you were injured on the job within 45 days of a work accident or developing injuries, including chronic or repetitive stress injuries. While it’s not legally required to provide the notice in writing, it’s a good idea to do so in order to leave a paper trail that your injuries are linked to your job, and not from some outside cause. On the notice, you should describe the accident or actions that caused your injuries honestly and state your injuries as a result of that accident.
Once it receives notice, your employer should let its insurer know about your injuries. When we represent you, we may put an Application for Adjustment of Claim on file for you with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC). This is because you may receive benefits, such as disability benefits and emergency care right away, but receive a sudden denial. Having an Application on file ensures we can get a hearing more expeditiously in the event that you need one.
While you only have 45 days to notify your employer of a job-related injury, you do have three years from the date you were injured to file an initial claim with the IWCC. Even so, you should give us a call as soon as you realize you have a job-related injury. It’s common for insurers to deny even those claims that are legitimate for spurious reasons such as a preexisting condition or the argument that the injury isn’t related to road construction.
Third Party Lawsuits
If you were injured on the job as a road construction worker, it is crucial to talk to a lawyer who also represents clients in third party lawsuits against negligent parties and SSDI claims. It may be appropriate to seek out your full spectrum of damages, not only workers’ compensation benefits, which don’t make up for all your losses arising out of a work accident. For instance, you may have a claim against a negligent driver or the manufacturer of malfunctioning equipment for your full income loss and out-of-pocket costs associated with your injuries. Our lawyers are also experienced SSDI and personal injury trial lawyers and can make sure all subrogation and other issues are efficiently and well-addressed in connection with your workers’ compensation claim.
Consult Attorneys About Your Chicago Road Construction Accident
Give us a call: our seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys have more than 60 years of experience representing workers, including all types of road construction workers, in their claims in Rockford, Aurora, Champaign, and Quincy, along with Winnebago, Kane, Sangamon, Cook, and Adams Counties. We can also represent you in a third party lawsuit or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.