IF YOU’VE BEEN INJURED AT WORK, YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO SUBSTANTIAL COMPENSATION ON TOP OF YOUR WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS
If someone, or some company, other than your employer or a co-employee, is responsible for your workplace injury, you may be eligible to sue the negligent party and collect money in addition to workers’ compensation benefits.
Labor laws in New York State, such as Sections 240 (sometimes called the Scaffolding Law) and 241(6) were adopted by State lawmakers to protect people on the job site -- people like you who do dangerous work sometime at great heights, or who operate big, powerful machinery and equipment, or work with explosives. Many workers don’t understand that these laws apply to all workers regardless of who is responsible for the accident, be it the general contractor, sub-contractor, or the property owner. Even workers from out-of-sate and undocumented workers, utility, bridge and road workers are often covered by these laws.
While workers’ compensation benefits could include payment of medical bills, some lost wages, or for the loss of use or disability of a body part or for facial scarring, workers’ compensation insurance does not pay one red cent for an injured worker’s pain or suffering.
Fortunately, some injured workers can recover workers’ compensation benefits AND file a personal injury claim if, as mentioned earlier, the injury was caused by someone other than your employer or a co-employee. Even simple sprains, or a broken bone, can put an employee out of work for months, even years, while the injury heals. And, workers compensation benefits are often not adequate enough for families to live on, let alone cover the mounting medical expenses they often incur.
In many cases, maybe in yours, a law suit can result in substantial recovery for immediate and future pain and suffering and economic loss including, but not limited to: lost wages, lost pensions, loss of vacation funds, loss of Social Security income, loss of health insurance costs and loss of household help.
If you feel you've been injured on the job as a result of the negligence of someone other than your employer, or a co-worker, please contact the New York construction accident lawyers of Raphaelson & Levine for a free consultation. By calling the telephone number listed above; or by filling out the “Legal Assistance” form on our website, you can speak with one of our experienced New York construction accident attorneys immediately.