Serious injuries can occur in any workplace, and burn injuries are among the most painful and traumatic. If you’ve sustained a burn injury at work, you should immediately consult a Gastonia worker’s compensation lawyer. Having the right legal representation is invaluable when navigating North Carolina’s workers’ compensation system and seeking the benefits you need to recover. A skilled Gastonia worker’s compensation lawyer with experience handling burn injury claims will protect your rights, manage paperwork, and advocate for your best interests, allowing you to focus entirely on your recovery.
Bridgman Gantt Law Offices offers responsive and results-driven legal representation for a wide range of workplace injury cases in Gastonia and the surrounding areas of North Carolina. Our firm has helped many past clients recover with workers’ compensation claims and personal injury cases, and we are confident we can help you resolve your case with a positive outcome.
Some of the biggest industries in Gastonia include manufacturing, retail, and hospitality. It’s possible for burn injuries to occur in many workplaces in the area. In manufacturing centers, contact with hot surfaces or scalding liquids can result in severe burns. Restaurant work can also lead to injuries from kitchen fires and other heat hazards.
The American Burn Association states that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2021, there were a total of 398,000 fire or burn-related injuries reported throughout the United States and an additional 252,000 injuries reported from contact with hot surfaces. A study published by the National Institute of Medicine concluded that more than 14% of annual burn injuries happen in the workplace.
In North Carolina, almost every employer in every industry is required to have workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance is meant to protect both injured workers and their employers. Employers will not face liability for injured workers’ damages, allowing them to continue operating without fear of bankruptcy if they are found liable for an injured worker’s damages, and this insurance provides benefits to the injured worker to help them recover.
If you suffer any injury at work, you must report it to your employer right away. Failure to report the injury on time could mean disqualification from workers’ compensation benefits. Once you report the injury, your employer should provide you with the materials you need to file your workers’ compensation claim.
As part of the claim filing process, you will likely need to see a workers’ compensation physician for a functional capacity assessment. This doctor will evaluate the severity of your injury and assign a disability rating that reflects your remaining capacity to work. Burns can be incredibly damaging, and many victims require skin grafting surgeries followed by extensive rehabilitative care.
If your workers’ compensation claim is approved, you can typically expect the insurer to cover the cost of all the medical care you require. Additionally, you can receive disability benefits when your injury prevents you from working. The average claimant will receive a percentage of their usual weekly wage each week until they are able to recover. It is also possible for workers’ compensation insurance to provide vocational rehabilitation if you must train for a new job.
Bridgman Gantt Law Offices can help you navigate the workers’ compensation claim process after a burn injury at work. Our goal is to help our client maximize their recovery, so reach out to our team as quickly as possible to learn how we can assist with your case.
A: The amount you can receive in workers’ compensation benefits for a burn injury will depend on the severity of the injury and how long it prevents you from working. In Gastonia, North Carolina, workers’ compensation insurance can cover all medical expenses for a workplace injury and provide disability benefits while the victim is unable to work. A Gastonia burn injury at work lawyer can help you maximize work burn compensation.
A: Typically, you cannot sue your employer for a burn injury at work in North Carolina. As long as they have workers’ compensation insurance, it is meant to be the sole remedy for any workplace injury, but there are some possible exceptions. For example, if you were compelled to complete a task outside of your usual responsibilities that had virtual certainty to cause the injury, or if a specific party intentionally caused the injury, you may have grounds for a suit.
A: A third-party personal injury claim is a civil case filed against a third party who directly caused your burn injury at work. You can file your workers’ compensation claim through your employer, but if a third party directly caused the injury, you can also file a third-party personal injury suit against them to seek compensation for damages that workers’ compensation won’t cover, such as your pain and suffering.
A: Disability benefits are paid for a workplace burn injury based on the severity of the injury and how much it prevents the victim from working while they recover. It is possible for partial disability benefits to be paid to an employee who can still work during their recovery but cannot earn their usual income, and total disability benefits are paid when the victim cannot work at all until they recover.
A: The cost to hire a Gastonia burn injury at work lawyer will be a percentage of the total compensation you secure. The team at Bridgman Gantt Law Offices takes work injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not pay any upfront fees and will only be charged a fee after we win your case. The contingency fee is a percentage of the total recovered, so there is no risk of paying more for legal counsel than you win in recompense for your damages.
The attorneys at Bridgman Gantt Law Offices have successfully helped many injured workers in the Gastonia area pursue recompense for their workplace injuries. We know how traumatic burn injuries at work can be and will do everything we can to maximize your recovery. If you are ready to discuss your case with an experienced Gastonia burn injury at work lawyer, contact us today to schedule your free consultation with our team.
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