Workers Compensation Lawyer Blog

The Crucial Decisions You’ll Make When Pursuing Workers’ Compensation

January 22, 2019 By James Hoffmann Leave a Comment

You will play an active role throughout the workers comp process, and especially in making the most crucial decisions regarding your case.

Though obtaining benefits after a work injury is a somewhat complicated process, your St. Louis workers compensation attorney should handle most of the logistical aspects of it. That being said, you will play an active role throughout the process, and especially in making the most crucial decisions regarding your case.

Whether to Make a Claim or Not

Your first significant decision is whether you should make a claim or not. The conclusion that you come to will be based on the severity of your injuries. On one end of the spectrum, you may have something like a small cut on your hand. You will likely receive a bandage, but this ailment shouldn’t keep you out of work or cause you to amass medical bills. As a result, you may opt to not make a claim. On the other end, you might have a more severe injury, like a broken bone. These cases will most likely call for you to make a claim. One thing to note is that if you’re ever not sure about this decision, talking to a workers’ comp lawyer can provide clarity.

Which Lawyer to Hire

Next, you should decide if you want to hire a lawyer or not. What makes this decision so important is that this professional is the person who will guide you through your case. Not only will that mean doing paperwork and making deadlines, but it will also include negotiating for a better deal and giving you advice along the way. One of the primary factors that leads to a favorable outcome is an attorney who has the skill and desire to fight for yo u, so don’t take this decision lightly. Instead, do some research and find a local provider who you can trust.

How Much to Settle For

Lastly, you have to decide how much compensation you will accept before settling. The truth is that nobody involved in these claims wants to go to court. In most cases, all that does is drive up costs and time investment. The better outcome is settling with the opposing insurance company relatively quickly. This process usually starts with an initial offer from them that is a bit low. Your lawyer negotiates, raises the price some amount, and then it is time to make a choice. As long as that offer is fair, there is a good chance that you will take it, as further discussions tend to have diminishing returns the farther you get into a claim.

The three crucial decisions that you will make in your workers’ compensation case are whether or not you want to make a claim, which lawyer to hire, and how much you’re willing to settle for. Perhaps the most important of them is hiring your St. Louis work injury attorney. The reason is that if you have an excellent lawyer at your side, that professional will give you advice at every step of the way. That kind of expertise will go a long way in getting you a favorable result.

Give us a call 24/7 for a FREE case evaluation :: (314) 361-4300

6 Ways That a Spinal Cord Injury Could Change Your Life

January 8, 2019 By James Hoffmann Leave a Comment

Sustaining a spinal cord injury at work will undoubtedly have a significant effect on your life.

Spinal cord injuries are among the worst injuries you can sustain while on the job. The reason is that this part of your body connects your brain to your limbs. When it gets severely damaged, the physical and mental consequences can be dire. Here is how a spinal cord injury can change your life.

Trouble With Day to Day Tasks

The most obvious way in which a spinal cord injury could change your life is having issues with day to day task. This assertion makes sense when you realize that damage to this area often paralyzes people from the neck or waist down, making nearly every task much harder than it used to be. You can make it out of a spinal cord injury without long-term damage, but many do not.

Increased Dependency

The logical outcome of having trouble with day to day tasks is an increased dependency on outside help. Whether that is from family members, friends, or professionals, you will need to lean on others for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, most victims have an excellent support system and handle this transition.

Not Being Able to Work

Another result of decreased physical ability is not being able to work like you used to. Though this assertion may not apply to some white collar workers, it does for the majority of employees. The good news is that you have a variety of options in these situations. They include coming back to work with restrictions, getting workers’ compensation, and applying for disability.

Giving Up Hobbies

You will likely need to adjust how you live your personal life, too. As you might imagine, people who love playing pickup basketball will not be able to continue with that hobby after losing function in their legs. That being said, there are plenty of activities that you can engage in that should eventually become as rewarding as your old favorites.

Emotional Consequences

All of these changes in your life will inevitably lead to negative emotional consequences. In these cases, it is best to ask for help right away. One of the best ways to do so is by talking to a mental health professional.

Financial Issues

Between medical expenses and decreased income, a spinal cord injury can cost you quite a bit of money. The silver lining is that, with the help of the workers’ compensation system, you should be able to make your financial situation work.

Sustaining a spinal cord injury at work will undoubtedly have a significant effect on your life, but it won’t be the end of the world. Those that suffer these damages often live happy, productive lives once some time passes. While much of that process takes place in the mind of the injury victim, there are also logistical matters that they must tend to. Among the most important of them is hiring a St. Louis workers compensation lawyer to help with the variety of expenses they will incur. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE workers compensation evaluation.

What Work Restrictions Mean for Those Returning to Work After an Injury

January 5, 2019 By James Hoffmann Leave a Comment

Returning to work after an injury can be difficult if your employer or supervisor does not fully understand your limitations.

Sustaining an injury at work will require you to complete a variety of tasks. The most crucial of them include reporting the damages, seeing a company doctor, and collecting workers comp. Once the entire process is complete, there is a chance that you’ll return to work with work restrictions. We explain what to expect from this development in the sections below.

Why Work Restrictions Exist

In some cases, injured workers stay away from their jobs until they regain their former level of health. Others never reach that point, or they come back before being fully recovered. In the latter cases, company doctors will often give rules for how employees should conduct themselves to ensure their safety. These recommendations are called work restrictions, and they are crucial to the fair treatment of injured workers.

Needing to Follow Them

Work restrictions are not something you should take lightly. The reason is that doctors do not make recommendations without a specific purpose for doing so. As a result, going against the rules you are given could lead to re-aggravating your injuries or sustaining new ones. Though you might want to help your company as must as possible, your health must come first.

Pressure to Go Beyond Your Capabilities

In some cases, employers will take a worker back, but then not respect that individual’s work restrictions. This situation can be incredibly uncomfortable for employees because their superiors force them to choose between adhering to unfair standards and their health. That being said, your supervisors might not know what your restrictions are and will ask you to break them by accident. Either way, your best bet is holding your ground and putting your health first.

Feeling Like You Should Do More

The other person that might pressure you into breaking your restrictions is the last person you’d expect. It is you, the injured worker. Two adverse outcomes often come from this situation. The first is employees getting injured again and having to start the recovery process from the start. The second is that while workers try to serve their companies by going beyond their capabilities, they end up costing that business even more due to additional health complications.

Talk to Your Doctor & Lawyer in Times of Need

Whether your supervisor is asking you to do too much or you feel that your restrictions are not adequately protecting you, you must talk to a professional. If it is a medical matter, then go see your doctor. The result could be your rules changing and giving you more security. It is also wise to speak with your workers comp attorney, who can help you get fair treatment when you need it most.

Overall, employees returning to work with restrictions is a positive step. Not only does it give your company a productive employee, but it might give you more money and meaning in your life. You could run into some issues, though, because at times your doctor or company does not understand your condition fully. If anything goes wrong, discussing your situation with a St. Louis work injury attorney can help you resolve the issue as soon as possible. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE Case Evaluation.

5 Safety Hazards Faced by Missouri Welders

January 4, 2019 By James Hoffmann Leave a Comment

As a welder, it is important to understand the hazards of your job so you can stay safe and healthy throughout your career.

Welding is a great job to have. However, there are a variety of hazards associated with it. While an injured worker is generally entitled to workers’ compensation, the better outcome is, of course, avoiding injury altogether. You can achieve that goal by acting with common sense and watching out for the most prolific dangers of the profession. Here are 5 of the most common.

Electrocution

The science behind electrocution starts with two pieces of metals that have a voltage between them. What happens is that when you touch them, you become part of the circuit and end up paying the price in the form of an electrical shock. The result of this accident can be an injury from either the shock itself or falling after it takes place. The two ways you can avoid this outcome are wearing dry gloves and inspecting your welding equipment before use.

Gas Inhalation

Exposure to various fumes and gases is an unavoidable outcome to the craft of welding. Unfortunately, too much of it leads to severe injury or even death. Your best bet at getting through your day unscathed is making sure you follow ventilation guidelines. The three ways in which welders do so is by working in large rooms with open air, using ventilating equipment like fans, and wearing respirators during especially risky jobs.

Explosions and Fires

Every welder knows that this craft takes a significant amount of heat to do properly. What many don’t understand is that the arc itself rarely causes problems. Instead, it is the sparks that come off of the metal that occasionally start fires and cause explosions. If anything goes wrong, employees should know where the nearby fire extinguishers are and how to use them. This training should keep them and the facilities safe.

Lack of Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial in a variety of professions. In the case of welding, it is absolutely necessary. These workers often wear gloves, headwear, and full body suits to keep themselves safe from the dangers of the job, the most common of them being heat and debris. One area that many workers forget about is their hearing, but they sometimes experience issues after many years in the industry. This trend makes wearing earplugs a smart idea.

Tripping and Falling

Lastly, we have a hazard that almost every worker in St. Louis is at risk of. It is tripping and falling, which is most often caused by messy workspaces with objects on the ground. What makes welders even more at risk than most is the heavy equipment they wear. As you might imagine, you are more prone to tripping when you are weighed down by extensive PPE.

As a welder, you need to understand the hazards of your job so you can stay safe and healthy throughout your career. Unfortunately, sustaining damages is often out of your control. If you end up being injured on the job, give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE and private case evaluation.

Psychological Assessments After Work Injuries

January 2, 2019 By James Hoffmann Leave a Comment

If you have sustained a work-related injury, you need to do everything you can to regain your health and live a good life.

The typical workers’ compensation case has four basic steps. You sustain damages at work, see a company doctor, speak with a St. Louis work injury lawyer, and negotiate until you have a fair settlement offer. In rare cases, injury victims see a mental health professional instead of or in addition to a conventional medical provider. Here is what you need to know about this process.

Why You Might Get One

There are two reasons why you might get a psychological assessment after a work injury or some other stressful event. The first is you requesting a meeting with a mental health expert due to emotional issues you are having. The second is your company recommending this strategy if they notice that you are not in proper mental shape. Either way, you could be at risk of a psychological injury, and your company doctor will likely recommend an outside professional.

Examples of Psychological Injuries

The following three psychological injuries affect workers the most.

Depression – Feeling low in motivation, having sleep issues, being irritable, and generally feeling negative emotions are all indications that you could have depression. This issue is one of the most common in the mental health community, and an expert can do a lot to help you with it.
Anxiety – Next, you have anxiety, which is characterized by feeling worried, uneasy, or restless. Doctors often recommend lifestyle adjustments or medication to treat this problem.
PTSD – This issue is similar to anxiety, but it is usually centered around a single event. What might happen is you reliving the experience over and over again, having sleep issues, and suffering from anxiety.

How to Handle an Assessment

Whether you or your company requests the assessment, you should approach it with the following two recommendations in mind.

Put Your Wellness First – Ignoring your mental health issues is never a smart idea, no matter how insecure you are about discussing them. Try to remember that your wellness comes first and be open with your doctor.
Be Completely Honest – The flipside is that you don’t want to embellish your experiences because you think it might lead to more compensation. Doing so will likely backfire.

What Might Happen as a Result

There are two results that can come out of assessments. The first option is the mental health professional declaring that you do have a psychological injury. In this case, you’ll want to speak to your lawyer about getting support to manage those damages. The other outcome is that professional deciding that you do not, which you may want to talk to your attorney about as well.

As important as your St. Louis workers compensation lawyer will be after a work injury, one might argue that your medical providers are even more crucial. This idea is true in the case of both physical and psychological injuries. No matter what, you need to do everything you can to regain your health and live a good life. If you have been injured on the job, call us 24/7 for a FREE Case Evaluation with an experienced workers compensation attorney. Call (314) 361-4300.

Causes and Symptoms of Occupational Asthma

December 30, 2018 By James Hoffmann Leave a Comment

As many as 15% of asthma cases in the U.S. may be job-related.

According to American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) occupational asthma has become the most common work-related lung disease in developed countries. As many as 15% of asthma cases in the U.S. may be job-related.

People who develop occupational asthma may be completely healthy, or they may have had asthma as a child and find that it has returned. For people who already have asthma, it may be worsened by exposure to certain substances at work. Whatever your case, if you have developed occupational asthma you need to seek immediate medical treatment.

Causes of Work-Related Asthma

A worker can develop asthma by breathing in gases, chemical fumes, dust, or other substances at work. Occupational asthma, also known as work-related asthma, can cause a person to have an allergic or immunological response to a substance that he or she may be sensitive to.

There are as many as 250 different workplace substances that have been identified as possible causes of the sickness. Some of these include:

Enzymes – like the ones used in flour conditioners and detergents
Metals – particularly chromium, platinum, and nickel sulfate
Animal substances – such as proteins found in hair, fur, saliva, dander, and bodily wastes
Plant substances – such as proteins found in flour, cereals, flax, cotton, rubber latex, hemp, rye, and wheat
Chemicals – used in laminates, paints, varnishes, adhesives and others that may be used in packaging materials and insulation
Respiratory irritants – sulfur dioxide, smoke, and chlorine gas

Symptoms of Occupational Asthma

The symptoms of occupational asthma are similar to those caused by other types of asthma. The main symptoms include:

Coughing
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Tightness in the chest
Difficulty breathing

Other symptoms that often accompany these main ones include nasal congestion, runny nose, and eye irritation. If you are having any of these symptoms, talk to your health care provider. If he or she thinks your asthma is work-related, or if you believe it is, it is necessary to file a workers compensation claim. You will need compensation to pay for the cost of tests, treatment, and possible time off from work.

How Do You Know if Your Asthma is Work-Related?

If you notice that you have any of the symptoms listed above, think about whether or not your symptoms are worse on days that you’re at work versus when you’re at home for any length of time such as the weekends or when on vacation. If the asthma returns once you return to work, that is often a big indicator.

It is important to seek immediate medical attention if you have any of the symptoms. If not correctly diagnosed and you’re not protected or able to avoid exposure to the contributing factors, occupational asthma can cause permanent lung damage or disability and can sometimes even lead to death.

Workmens Comp for Occupational Asthma

If you or a loved one has developed asthma from work, our Missouri Workers’ Compensation Attorneys can provide you with the necessary information to make the right choices so that you can receive the best medical care, benefits and income.

Missouri Workers’ Comp enables an injured worker to receive medical benefits as well as income benefits. You should be receiving treatment for ALL of your injuries, not just the ones the insurance company wants to accept. Please call (314) 361-4300 or fill out our online contact form to request a free consultation.