Work Accidents for City of Chicago Workers

Lawyers for Work Accidents Sustained by Employees of The City of Chicago

You might assume that when you get into a work accident as a City of Chicago worker, you’ll be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. If you need to recover benefits from the City of Chicago for your work injuries, you should discuss your situation with the experienced Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca.

Work Accidents for City of Chicago Workers

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides that most workers in the state are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. However, the City of Chicago is self-insured for workers’ compensation injuries as big businesses often are. Only entities that are financially secure and stable are able to self-insure for work injuries. No premiums will be paid by the City to get workers’ compensation insurance. Rather, all claims can be paid directly.

Coverage commences as soon as the City hires you. There isn’t a waiting period, so you can obtain benefits for work-related injuries from the very first day on the job. However, if the City is suspicious about the circumstances surrounding your work accident or the extent of your injuries, you may face denial of your claim or surveillance in subsequent months. You should be alert to the possibility of a denial after a work accident and retain our experienced lawyers.

Lawyers for Benefits

Workers’ compensation benefits to which you may be entitled after a work accident can include:

• Medical care
• Temporary total disability benefits
• Temporary partial disability benefits
• Vocational rehabilitation

You are entitled to reasonable and necessary medical benefits for injuries arising out of work accidents. However, the City may disagree with your doctor about what care is reasonable and necessary. If the City disputes your medical care, it may ask you to go to an independent medical exam (IME). Although it’s described as “independent,” in practice, your employer may choose a doctor who has a known history of recommending conservative treatments to perform the exam.

After a work accident, you may not be able to do your job for the City of Chicago. In that case, you may need disability benefits to partially replace your lost wages. In Illinois, disability benefits are calculated in different ways, depending on whether your injuries are temporary or permanent and partial or total. Temporary total benefits amount to 2/3 or your average weekly wage with the City.

Death Benefits

When a loved one dies due to a work accident while working for the City, it may be appropriate to pursue death benefits. For instance, if your loved one was managing a construction project for the City and fell off the side of a building during inspections, plummeting to his death, you can file a claim for death benefits. If you are a spouse or child of a deceased City worker, you may be able to obtain funeral and burial expenses. These are typically capped at $8000. You may also be able to obtain a portion of lost wages.

Third Party Lawsuits

If you were injured through the fault of someone other than your employer or a coworker, you may be able to pursue damages in a personal injury lawsuit. For instance, if you were driving for the City, and you were T-boned at an intersection by a drunk driver, you could pursue damages from the drunk driver. Our attorneys will need to prove: (1) you were owed a duty of reasonable care, (2) breach of the duty to use reasonable care, (3) causation, and (4) actual damages. Subrogation issues may arise in connection with your claim for benefits and lawsuit, which is why it is critical to obtain knowledgeable legal representation.

If your loved one died as the result of negligence by someone other than the City of Chicago or a coworker there, it may be appropriate to pursue wrongful death damages. These tend to be more expansive than death benefits obtained through the workers’ compensation system.

Hire Seasoned City of Chicago Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

If you are concerned about work accidents for City of Chicago workers, you should discuss your situation with our experienced lawyers. We have represented work accident victims for more than sixty years in workers’ compensation claims, personal injury actions, and SSDI claims. In addition to representing clients in Chicago, we also represent injured workers in Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, and Aurora, along with Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.