When should an injured person consult a Workers Compensation Attorney in Port St. Lucie FL? The main factors involve the seriousness of the injury and whether the employer and its insurer are cooperative. If they dispute the injury’s severity or the fact that it happened on the job, an attorney may be necessary. There also are considerations involving third-party liability, which could bring the injured person more money.
The worker’s comp system is intended to help both employees and employers. Employers benefited by avoiding personal injury lawsuits and employees had the advantage of prompt payment for lost wages and medical bills. There are flaws in the system, however, and workers sometimes find themselves battling with an insurer that refuses to pay.
This Workers Compensation Attorney in Port St. Lucie FL helps clients fill out the paperwork properly and send all required documentation. The lawyer knows the kinds of professional medical verification that are necessary when an insurance company questions the severity of an injury. The insurer may demand an independent physical examination, so it’s essential to have fully documented medical records from the client’s own team of practitioners before that exam takes place. Any discrepancies found in the independent exam will be fully addressed in the existing medical records.
One factor that individuals may never consider is that they may have a third-party case in addition to a workers compensation case. Workers comp laws protect employers from lawsuits, but sometimes an outside party is involved. Consider an employee who is crossing an intersection on foot to deliver paperwork to a building across the street. If a car runs through the intersection and hits the employee, that person typically has a case against the driver in addition to being eligible for workers compensation.
In addition, lawyers with a firm such as Matheson, Horowitz & Devonmille will be able to determine how much the case should be worth. This is extremely difficult for an employee with little to no legal background in the realm of workers comp. People might have received opinions from friends, co-workers, and relatives, but that is not as helpful as knowledgeable guidance from an attorney.
