Industrial workers are subjected to some of the most dangerous job sites in Pennsylvania. From warehouses to chemical plants, there is a constant risk of catastrophic injury or harmful exposure. When accidents happen, workers’ compensation benefits may be available.
If you are recovering from injuries suffered in an industrial accident, now is the time to consider your legal options. A Lancaster workplace injury lawyer could help you manage each step of the benefits process and get the compensation you deserve. Below are the important steps to take in the aftermath of a Pennsylvania industrial accident.
In order to recover workers’ compensation for industrial employees, the first step you need to take is to inform your employer about the incident. There are a few deadlines to keep in mind, but each of them is important. Initially, you must inform your employer of a work-related injury within 21 days. Although it is not required, providing this notice in written form is a good idea. A written notice provides a paper trail establishing that you met the notice requirements under the law.
This deadline is firm in most cases, but there are situations where someone could still qualify for benefits if they do not meet it. Anyone with reasonable cause—like being in a coma for several weeks—could still be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits following an industrial accident so long as they ultimately make their claim within six months of the incident. After that, claims are always denied outside of cases regarding work-related illnesses or toxic exposure.
Seek Medical Care
Your health is your top priority, meaning you should see a doctor immediately following an industrial accident. When it comes to emergency medical care, you are authorized to seek treatment at the nearest facility available. Once the need for emergency medical care subsides, you are generally required to select a doctor from your employer’s physicians list.
An employer has the right to provide workers with a list of at least six doctors they can choose from for their workers’ compensation care. At least three of the names on the list must be physicians. There are some requirements a company must make, like providing the list to new hires and posting it on the job site where it is available to employees. The failure to meet these requirements could allow you to see any doctor you choose.
If your injury requires some kind of specialty medical care and an appropriate specialist is not on the list, you are allowed to choose your doctor for that treatment. You have the opportunity to switch from one doctor to another on the list, and your employer cannot direct you to a specific provider.
Once you have addressed your medical needs, it is helpful to ensure your legal needs are also met. A Lancaster work injury lawyer can handle the complex issues in your case while ensuring you meet all legal deadlines.
Your choice of attorney is important. You can count on the insurance company to have the support of an army of lawyers. This makes handling your claim on your own a risk you cannot afford. The right legal team can even the odds and improve your chances of getting the benefits you deserve.
When possible, you can strengthen your case by thoroughly investigating the scene of the incident. This may not be possible if your injuries require emergency care or if the scene is so dangerous that it is impossible to get near it again. If you have access to the location of your accident, gather as much information as possible. This starts with noting the identities of witnesses who might have seen the incident. Other important pieces of evidence could include reports made by your employer or photos of the accident scene.
When it comes to proving that your condition is serious enough to warrant workers’ compensation benefits, there are few steps more important than retaining copies of your medical records. You should retain copies of records for every doctor’s visit you have related to our workplace injury, no matter how minor it might seem at the time.
These records can paint a clear picture of the severity of your disability. They also provide a paper trail that proves you took reasonable steps to treat your injuries and improve your condition. This can be important in cases where the insurance company alleges you are able to return to work when you feel you are not. This documentation can help strengthen your claim in a variety of ways as you navigate the workers’ compensation system.
Once you report your injury to your employer, it is their responsibility to submit the claim to the insurance company. From there, the insurer will decide whether or not to accept your claim and pay out benefits. Unfortunately, denials are common even though this is a “no-fault” system of compensation. It is also not unusual for injured workers to get an award that is below what they were expecting. You have the chance to file an appeal under either scenario.
If you are recovering from the consequences of an industrial accident, your next steps can affect you for the rest of your life. If you take careful steps to safeguard your health and protect your legal rights, you could get the benefits you deserve. The right approach could limit your long-term consequences, allowing you to return to the workforce and enjoy life to its fullest.
The attorneys of Vanasse Law, LLC understand what goes into a catastrophic injury. We are ready to serve as your advocates and help you maximize your claim for compensation. Contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation.
Workers in the oil and gas industries face some of America’s most dangerous job sites on a daily basis. One of the greatest risks they face is the potential for explosions. Each year, numerous workers suffer serious injuries and/or lose their lives in explosions throughout the U.S.
When you get hurt in a gas plant or oil refinery accident, there are three primary ways you can seek compensation for your injuries. But, depending on the circumstances, you may only have certain options available, and you may need to act quickly to protect your legal rights. As a result, after being injured in an explosion, we urge you to contact our Lancaster hurt-on-the-job lawyers as soon as possible to discuss your situation.
In most cases, job-related injury claims in the oil and gas industry are covered by workers’ compensation. Pennsylvania law requires the vast majority of private employers to either carry workers’ compensation insurance or self-insure for their workers’ on-the-job injuries. In Pennsylvania and other states, workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. This means that you can recover your medical expenses and at least a portion of your lost wages regardless of whether your employer was at fault for your injuries.
The “no-fault” nature of workers’ compensation is designed to provide something for everyone. All injured employees (with limited exceptions) are eligible for compensation, though workers’ comp does not offer the full scope of damages available in non-work-related situations. This is – at least in theory – so that employers can stay in business without paying all of their money to insurance companies and their injured workers.
But, what if your employer deserves to be sued? What if your employer made an ill-advised decision or an egregious mistake that led to your injuries? Fortunately, these are examples of situations where you can sue your employer outside of workers’ compensation. If your employer ignores critical safety standards or puts you in an unreasonably dangerous situation, these are examples of situations where you may be able to file a personal injury claim to recover all of your damages.
Importantly, the limits of workers’ compensation only apply to claims against work injury victims’ employers. If a company or someone other than your employer is to blame, you can hire a lawyer to help you vigorously pursue maximum compensation. In oil and gas explosions, the responsible parties often include:
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an explosion, we want to help you win the compensation you deserve. Contact one of our Lancaster hurt-on-the-job lawyers as soon as possible to discuss your legal rights and options.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania has a vibrant economy supported by diverse industries, including agriculture, manufacturing tourism, and healthcare. The community boasts hundreds of manufacturers and distributors and produces goods as diverse as farm machinery and linoleum, ball bearings, and a wide range of food products. Though the jobs that these businesses represent make valuable contributions to the financial health of the area, they also put local residents at risk of a variety of industrial worker injuries that can be devastating to physical health. If you are a Lancaster, PA industrial worker who has been injured on the job, the workers’ compensation law firm of Vanasse Law is here to help.
It is mandatory for employers in the state of Pennsylvania to provide workers’ compensation insurance for their employees, and this insurance can come from a state fund, a private carrier, or employers can opt to provide insurance on their own. There are highly specific rules regarding both compensation and the process of applying for workers’ comp benefits, and it is essential that anybody who has suffered industrial worker injuries or who is sickened on the job follows these rules in order to maximize their ability to collect the benefits that they deserve. Injured workers have only 21 days to report their injury to their employer, and the following receipt of the report the employer has only ten days to submit a First Report of Injury to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
Though employees who are determined to be eligible for benefits are able to receive full medical benefits without limits, in order to be deemed eligible they must first see a physician that comes from their employer’s list of approved doctors, if such a list exists. Once the employers’ insurance company reviews a report of injury, they make a decision as to whether or not to pay the claim. If a claim is not denied within 21 days then the worker is supposed to receive a Notice of Temporary Compensation Payable Form or an Agreement of Compensation Form. Whichever you receive will need to be filled out and filed with the bureau along with a Statement of Wages Form. There is a tremendous amount of paperwork and investigation that often follows a workers’ compensation claim, even when the compensation is agreed to, and it is essential that all of this documentation is properly completed and filed in a timely way in order to ensure that compensation is received as quickly as possible.
Even when everything is done correctly, the workers’ compensation process in the state of Pennsylvania can be extremely complex. Having an experienced attorney working on your behalf and representing you will give you the confidence and knowledge that your claim is being handled properly from start to finish. Call the Lancaster Pa law firm of Vanasse Law for help filing your initial claim, collecting all of the documentation you need to support your claim, filing an appeal, and representing you during hearings. We are here to help.
Learn more about how Vanasse Law can Help Industrial Workers HERE.
Nobody ever goes out and applies for a job with the hopes that they will suffer an injury or get sick as a result of something that happened at their workplace. Yet workplace injuries happen thousands of times each and every day in the United States, and a surprising number of them are completely preventable. Whether an accident at work is a result of a rare occurrence or among the most common industrial accidents that are seen, when a worker is injured in the course of doing their job, they are entitled to collect workers’ compensation, a type of no-fault insurance provided by employers so that their workers can receive medical benefits and wage replacement where appropriate. Though some injuries are minor, simply requiring short-term treatment without the need to miss any work at all, others are catastrophic and result in major disabilities or even death. Workers’ compensation can cover both physical and mental health conditions, but in order to get the benefits, the state of Pennsylvania requires that injured employees adhere to a rigorous process of notifying their employer of their injury, seeking medical attention from the employer’s approved physicians, providing documentation and filling out paperwork, and awaiting approval or denial of their claim. If you have suffered one of the common industrial accidents detailed below, or have sustained an injury at work in some other way, it is important that you seek knowledgeable legal counsel in order to make sure that you have completed the process properly. The attorneys at the Lancaster PA workers’ compensation law firm of Vanasse Law can help.
There are a seemingly limitless number of ways that workplace injuries can occur, but the most common industrial accidents tend to fall into one of the categories below:
If you or someone you love has suffered a workplace injury and needs to talk to a knowledgeable workers’ compensation attorney, call the lawyers at Vanasse Law.
Find out more about Industrial Accidents HERE.
There are many reasons why Lancaster industrial worker accidents happen. Those who work in industrial settings, whether a factory, a refinery, a warehouse or any other, head off to the job every day with the knowledge that they are at risk for accidents and injury, and these employees rely on their employers and coworkers to do whatever they can to ensure their safety. When the worst happens and a worker is hurt on the job, they have certain rights. The Lancaster industrial worker accidents attorneys at Vanasse Law are here to help. We are skilled and experienced attorneys with a record of successfully getting injured workers the compensation that they deserve. Call us today to see how we can help you.
It has been estimated that approximately 1,000 industrial workers are killed in accidents on the job each and every year, and many more sustain serious injuries. If you have been injured in a Lancaster industrial site accident, workers’ compensation is an insurance policy that is supposed to provide for many of your medical expenses and lost wages. Unfortunately, many employers are reluctant to pay for injuries and will reject workers’ compensation claims. Additionally, in some instances an industrial worker accident may have been caused by negligence on the part of people or companies other than your employer. If this happened to you then you may be entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit against these other parties. The attorneys at Vanasse Law can review your case to see whether you are eligible to file one of these lawsuits, and will provide you with compassionate, aggressive representation to ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve.
At Vanasse Law, we have extensive knowledge of the dangers inherent in industrial settings. Workers in these environments rely upon their employers to ensure that all appropriate safety precautions have been put into place, including proactively ensuring that their fellow workers are properly trained, that the equipment that they work with is maintained and in good working condition, that safety gear is provided and readily available, and that the materials that they are working with are safe. Though workers’ compensation rules preclude an injured worker from filing a personal injury lawsuit against their employer, there are many third parties that play a role in a work environment. If negligence on the part of these others played a role in your injury, then you may be entitled to pursue compensation for your damages from them.
When you’ve been injured in an industrial worker accident, you need a strong and knowledgeable advocate working on your behalf and looking out for your interests. The Lancaster attorneys at Vanasse Law have the experience you need to ensure that you have the best possible outcome. Call us today for help.
Learn more about Lancaster Industrial Worker Accidents HERE.
When you think of workers’ compensation and workplace injuries, there’s a good chance that the image that comes to mind is of an employee with an injured back. There’s a good reason why this is what you think of first – according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roughly twenty percent of all workplace injuries or illnesses involved the back, adding up to over one million back injuries every single year. Back injuries make up 25% of all workers’ compensation claims. Most back injuries that occur on the job come about as a result of lifting, and four out of five involve the lower back. If you have suffered a workplace back injury and need information about your rights as an injured worker, call the attorneys of Vanasse Law. We are experienced workers’ compensation lawyers in Lancaster, and we have a wealth of knowledge to support you in all aspects of the workers’ compensation applications and appeal process.
There are a number of common back injuries that are sustained in the workplace. These are divided into two different categories: non-accidental injuries that occur as a result of normal, non-strenuous activities, and accidental injuries that are the result of an unexpected action or strain. Back injuries may result from physically demanding jobs that require a good deal of lifting, straining, or twisting, but they can also come from the poor ergonomics provided by office chairs, standing for long periods of time, or working hunched over a computer all day. Where the former can come in the form of overextensions result in muscle strains, tears, and ruptures of the discs in the spine, the injuries from sitting are often more along the lines of neck strain and lower back pain.
The back is made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, vertebrae, disks, and connective tissue, and workplace back injuries can damage any of those. Though injuries can happen anywhere along the spinal column between the head and the tailbone, the majority of workplace back injuries involve the lower back. Perhaps the most common of these are disk problems, which result when one of the disks that act as a shock absorber between the vertebrae in our spinal column is suddenly compressed and ends up protruding out of its normal position. If this disk touches a spinal nerve it can result in severe pain. In most cases, this type of injury is the result of improper lifting. Other common injuries occur when the ligaments that support the connections between the vertebrae in our spine are pulled beyond their capacity as a result of twisting or turning. In most cases, back injuries are a result of exceeding the capacity of the back’s structures and can result in pain and disability that lasts a very long time.
If you have suffered a workplace back injury that requires medical attention or restricts you from doing your job, you would benefit from having a skilled workers’ compensation attorney helping you navigate through the workers’ compensation claims process. To set up an appointment to discuss your case, call Vanasse Law today.
Learn more about Workplace Back Injuries HERE.
As the eighth-most populated city in the state of Pennsylvania, Lancaster is a metropolis that has a robust manufacturing industry. In addition to the various factories that provide public tours for the enjoyment of the tourists, the city is home to world-class manufacturers of vacuum tube products, contract manufacturers, automobile manufacturers and distributors, food processing and manufacturing plants, and more. Though these are all valuable contributors to the local economy, job sites can be dangerous places. Factory work accidents are an all too common occurrence that can require medical attention and keep you out of work for an extended period of time. When you or a loved one is the person who has been injured in a factory accident your immediate concern focuses on their injuries and rehabilitation, but you also are left wondering how you’re going to pay the medical bills and household bills during recovery. Workers’ compensation is a benefit that is specifically designed to provide for workers who have been injured on the job, but navigating the claims process can be frustrating, confusing, and complicated. The Lancaster factory accident lawyers at Vanasse Law are completely dedicated to helping injured workers get the compensation to which they are entitled. Call us today and let us make a difficult process simple.
Factory accidents can take many forms and have many causes ranging from slip and fall accidents or being caught under a pile of falling boxes, to explosions, fires, or chemical leaks that can lead to tragic endings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most common factory injuries include:
Workers also face the same types of risks that can be encountered in any environment, including tripping over hazards on the floor, having things fall on them, and being subjected to temperature extremes. Injuries can range from broken bones to bumps and contusions, from amputations or burn to spinal cord injuries, skin disorders, traumatic brain injuries, or vision loss. For a worker employed in a factory, the physical impact of these injuries can also be devastating financially, particularly if they are unable to return to work. Workers’ compensation is there to provide a cushion for those who have been injured in Lancaster factory accidents, and the lawyers at Vanasse Law are here to make sure that you get the benefits to which you are entitled. Call us today and we’ll get started immediately on providing the help that you need.
Learn more from our Lancaster Factory Accident Lawyer HERE.
The old adage about something being “as easy as falling off a ladder” is more true than people realize, as falling off of a ladder is one of the country’s number one causes of unintentional injury. In fact, of falls that end in fatalities, almost half involve falling off of a ladder, and among injuries that occur in the workplace, one in five involve ladders. Working in construction is well established as one of the most dangerous occupations, and in construction alone, over eighty percent of falls that require a trip to the emergency room have involved a ladder. If you are a worker who has been injured in a ladder accident, then you may be entitled to compensation to help you recover and rehabilitate. The Lancaster law firm of Vanasse Law is dedicated to helping those who have been injured in workplace accidents, and we are here to help you through the entire process.
According to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the year 2011 alone there were over 15,000 nonfatal work-related ladder fall injuries, and those only represent those that employers reported and that involved more than a day away from work. The agency indicated that in total there were 34,000 of these injuries treated in the nation’s emergency rooms, and most of them were preventable. The occupational groups that were most heavily represented among these were construction and mining, followed by employees involved in the installation, maintenance, and repair work, and the highest amount of fatalities were found among companies that had the fewest employees. Of particular concern were the ladder injuries that involved the head, which was implicated in roughly half of the ladder fall fatalities.
There are a number of factors that can contribute to ladder injury incidents, and many of them are a result of improper or insufficient training on ladder inspection and use. Many ladder accidents are a result of:
No matter the reason behind your ladder accident injury, employees that are injured in workplace accidents are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, which generally include payment of medical and therapy bills, out-of-pocket expenses for such items as crutches and medications, and approximately two-thirds of wages lost during treatment and recovery. In some cases, there are also specific loss benefits available due to the loss of a limb or bodily function, and if your accident is the result of negligence on the part of a third party other than your employer or a co-worker, it may also be appropriate for you to pursue a separate claim against those responsible.
At the Lancaster law firm of Vanasse Law, we are solely dedicated to serving the needs of injured workers, including those who suffer injuries as a result of ladder fall accidents. Call us today to set up an appointment to see how we can help you get the compensation that you deserve.
Learn more about Ladder Injury Compensation HERE.
30 East Roseville Road, Suite C
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone: 717-397-1010
Office Hours:
After Hours: 717-471-2168
Fax: 717-397-2644
Vanasse Law LLC is conveniently located just north of center city Lancaster just off Route 30. We are in Sterling Center just off Lititz Pike/Route 501. Our office has plenty of free parking and is handicapped accessible.
Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Vanasse Law LLC serves injured workers throughout Lancaster County and surrounding communities.
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