Orange County Work Injury Lawyer

If you incurred an injury at work, you’re likely full of questions. Who will pay for your medical bills and the cost of your ongoing care? What happens if you need to miss work while you recover? Can your employer fire you if you sustain an injury on the job and need a leave of absence? The Orange County work injury lawyer at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP can provide assurance and answers to all these questions and more.

The Worker’s Compensation System in California

Whether your job is in Irvine, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, or anywhere else throughout the OC, California state labor law requires all employers carry worker’s compensation insurance for their employees in the event of an occupational injury. While the amount of coverage varies from company to company, this insurance covers your medical bills and a portion of your salary in the event of an accident. The worker’s compensation system is no fault, which means you won’t have to prove your employer was negligent to collect benefits. On the other hand, collecting worker’s compensation benefits forfeits your right to sue your employer for negligence in the event of an injury.

Filing a Worker Injury Claim

Filing a worker’s compensation claim in CA can be complicated, which is why it’s beneficial to enlist the help of an Orange County worker’s compensation attorney. If you incur an injury on the job, take the following steps:

• Report the injury as soon as possible. State law allows you 30 days to report an injury, but we recommend reporting it much sooner if you can. As soon as the injury occurs, contact a supervisor and ask to start the claims process. You don’t want to lose legal grounds to a claim by waiting too long.
• File the appropriate paperwork. Filing a claim requires filing the right forms, both to your employer and the insurance company, within a satisfactory time frame. Our attorneys can help you with this process.
• Seek appropriate medical care. It’s important to seek quality treatment for your injuries as soon as possible. Keep in mind that your employer may want you to see a provider within the company’s own network instead of your own physician.
• Keep all your follow-up appointments. Following your doctor’s orders is not only important to your own health but also to the health of your insurance claim. Skipping appointments or being non-compliant could result in an adjuster taking your claim less seriously.
• Seek help from a worker’s compensation attorney. Worker’s compensation claims often require a lot of paperwork and technical details. A worker’s compensation attorney knows the ins and outs of the system and can assist you with your claim, expediting the process. Sometimes, the simple act of getting an attorney involved will encourage am insurance company to take your claim more seriously.

Other Forms of Recourse

Even if you’re collecting worker’s compensation benefits, you may wonder if you have any other avenues of recourse available. Since worker’s compensation only pays for a portion of your salary, you may still be struggling financially. While you cannot technically seek damages from your employer while collecting worker’s compensation benefits, you may still be able to pursue a claim against a third party under product or premise liability laws. An Irvine work injury attorney can help identify any negligent parties and seek additional compensation for lost wages or pain and suffering.

Our Work Injury lawyers in Orange County offer Free Consultations!

For more information or to learn about workplace injury and worker’s compensation claims, contact us for a free case evaluation. Call us today!