Chicago workers compensation lawyer

When you suffer a sudden injury at work or develop an injury or illness because of your job duties, you can likely file a claim for workers’ compensation. This compensation is necessary to provide employees with time to recover without making them financially unstable. If you were injured at work, it’s important to work with a Chicago workers compensation lawyer quickly so that you can file a claim efficiently.

Illinois workers’ compensation law represents a balance between offering health care and job security to injured workers with the need to limit business expenses and lost productivity for employers. Workers’ comp benefits help employees get better and get back to work while limiting the company’s liability by prohibiting civil lawsuits against employers. These benefits are not automatic, however, and employees must file a claim for their injuries.

Connolly Injury Law: Standing Up for Employee Rights

Workers’ compensation exists to protect both employers and employees. Unfortunately, workers’ compensation doesn’t always protect employees as it should. Employers dispute the extent of the worker’s injury or say it isn’t work-related. Workers who do receive benefits find they are not getting as much as they should, or their benefits are cut off before they are ready to return to work. This can be frustrating and difficult to combat as you navigate your recovery or a readjustment to a new way of living.

In order to get the benefits you deserve from a workers’ compensation claim, you need the experienced team at Connolly Injury Law. Chicago workers’ compensation lawyer Mark Connolly is committed to making sure employees are treated fairly and get the benefits they are entitled to when they’ve been injured on the job.

Our firm provides you with the legal support and compassion you need as we negotiate with your employer and their workers’ compensation insurance on your behalf. We understand the importance of a settlement to your financial security, so we provide you with the comprehensive legal care you need to receive fair workers’ compensation.

If you’ve been hurt at work in Cook County or throughout Chicagoland and need help getting the benefits you deserve, call Connolly Injury Law for practical advice and professional assistance with your Illinois workers’ compensation claim.

Understanding Workers’ Compensation Insurance in Chicago

In Chicago, Illinois, most employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This protects the employers themselves from personal civil liability and also protects the well-being and financial security of employees. If you are injured from an accident at work or you discover a developmental condition, you should inform your employer and file a claim with their workers’ compensation insurance company.

It is against the law for an employer to retaliate against an employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim.

The workers’ compensation insurance system makes it rare for employees to recover compensation through civil claims, such as personal injury claims. There are fewer benefits available in a workers’ compensation claim, but you are not required to prove that anyone was negligent or at fault to receive compensation. You must only prove that the injuries were caused by your work and that you did sustain damages.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get the compensation you need from an insurance provider, whose goal is to limit their costs and liability. This is why you need an attorney who understands the state and local workers’ compensation laws and will protect your interests. An attorney can defend your employee rights.

Injuries and Claims Handled by Connolly Injury Law

Injuries in workplaces happen in many fields of employment, result in many different injuries, and require their own unique approach. When finding an attorney to represent you, you’ll want an attorney with experience in workers’ compensation laws that are relevant to your employment, accident, or injury. At Connolly Injury Law, we are experienced in some of the following areas, among others:

• Burn Injury: Burn injuries can result from electrocutions, electrical fires, chemical spills, and explosions. These are incredibly painful injuries that can cause immense scarring, disfigurement, and even death. Burns require extensive treatment and may cause permanent nerve damage and disability.
• Construction Accidents: Construction sites are among the most dangerous forms of employment. Employees can be injured from falls, falling objects, malfunctioning or improperly used machinery, a lack of safety protocols, scaffolding collapses, and numerous other dangerous accidents. When an accident happens at a construction site, there are multiple parties who could be liable in personal injury claims, in addition to the compensation employees receive in a workers’ comp claim.
• Defective Safety Equipment: Employees in construction, industrial plants, and other hazardous work environments rely on safety equipment to limit the dangers they face. If these products are defective due to a design or manufacturing defect, the distributor and manufacturer of the product are held strictly liable. This civil claim could be filed in addition to a workers’ comp claim.
• Eye Injury: Eye injuries can be sudden injuries, and they can also be developmental injuries caused by blue light from computer screens. When these injuries are the result of work duties, employees can file for workers’ compensation.
• FedEx Driver Injury: Delivery drivers and other employees of FedEx are under pressure to meet deadlines and work quickly, and this increases the risk of injury.
• Flight Attendant & Airline Worker Injury: Airline employees in Chicago can be injured while in flight, while loading and unloading cargo, due to inclement weather, and because of many other hazards.
• Garbage Truck Driver Injury: Drivers and other employees who operate garbage trucks face dangers from the materials they transport, the machinery they operate, and the potential for car accidents. These injuries should be fully covered by workers’ compensation.
• Head & Brain Injury: Head trauma and traumatic brain injuries can result in permanent disability for some injured employees. They can also be fatal. When you hit your head or lose consciousness in a workplace accident, it is essential to get medical care immediately.
• Machinery Accident: Employment fields that use machinery like construction sites, factories, and other industrial sites can create high risks for their employees. When employees are injured on the job, they can recover compensation.
• Neck & Spine Injury: Spine and spinal cord injuries can be caused by falls, falling objects, and vehicle collisions. Sometimes, these injuries can fully heal with recovery, while others result in permanent nerve damage and loss of function.
• OSHA Violations: When an employer has faced multiple OSHA violations, this indicates that they are negligent or reckless. If an employee is injured because an employer failed to address the OSHA safety concerns, the employee may be able to file a personal injury claim for additional damages.
• Road Construction: Employees who work on construction sites on roads face additional hazards from passenger cars.
• Shoulder & Knee Injury: These injuries occur across many types of occupations and may be the result of a sudden accident, a repetitive motion, or another cause.
• Third-Party Claims: If another party was to blame for an employee’s accident, a personal injury claim could be filed in addition to a workers’ comp claim. For example, if another driver or a third-party contractor was negligent, they may be liable.
• Union Worker Injury Claims: For union workers who are injured on the job, it’s important to find an attorney who can navigate the unique workers’ compensation requirements.
• UPS Driver Injury: UPS drivers and other employees face many hazards in their work, including the potential for car accidents, as well as repetitive motion injuries. Injured employees can file workers’ compensation and may be able to file a third-party claim.
• Workers’ Compensation Act: The state laws governing workers’ compensation can be complicated, and employees often have to fight against profit-oriented companies. An attorney can help protect employee interests.
• Workers’ Compensation Claims: The process of filing a workers’ compensation claim can be complicated, but an attorney can guide employees through it.

Some Areas We Serve:

• Bridgeview
• Burr Ridge
• Cicero
• Forest Park
• Libertyville
• Maywood
• Oak Park
• Peoria
• River Grove
• Rockford
• Summit

What Does Illinois Workers’ Compensation Provide?

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act covers almost every employee in the state from day one on the job. The law covers all types of workplace injuries and illnesses, including traumatic accidents, repetitive use injuries, and medical conditions such as stroke or heart attack caused by work. Workers with a pre-existing condition can get benefits when their condition is aggravated on the job.

There are several benefits that employees can obtain with a workers’ compensation claim, including:

Medical Costs

Injured workers receive coverage for all medical care reasonably required to treat their condition, including doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, medications, prostheses and medical devices. When you tell your doctor you were injured at work, they bill the workers’ compensation carrier directly so you don’t have to pay out of pocket for your medical care.

Partial Wages and Disability Benefits

Workers’ compensation also helps out with wage replacement while you are out of work recovering from the injury or illness. Typically, this amount equals two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you are off work (Temporary Total Disability/TTD), or two-thirds of the wage differential if you can work at light duty or with restrictions and at a lower rate of pay (Temporary Partial Disability/TPD).

If you have to switch jobs, workers’ comp can cover the costs of vocational rehabilitation in an approved program. If you are permanently disabled or disfigured but can still work (Permanent Partial Disability/PPD) or permanently disabled and unable to work (Permanent Total Disability/PTD), you can receive benefits based on a wage differential or compensation based on a schedule of injuries. Disability benefits do have limitations based on the yearly state laws, so it’s important to be aware of those restrictions.

Death Benefits

Illinois workers’ compensation also provides a death benefit to family members who lose a loved one to a work-related accidental injury or illness. Death benefits include $8,000 in burial expenses to the survivor or person paying for the burial, plus two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage to a surviving spouse and young children, totally dependent parents, or other persons who were at least 50% dependent on the deceased. These benefits can last for the greater of 25 years or $500,000.