Sustaining a job-related spinal cord injury leaves you out of work, in pain, and dependent on workers’ compensation benefits to keep you afloat. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to work through the workers’ comp process and secure the benefits you rightfully deserve. Connect with a Cicero personal injury attorney to protect your rights at Therman Law today.
When you choose Charlie, you partner with a legal representative recognized as a “Top Ten Attorney” by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA). Your spinal cord injury workers’ comp lawyer in Cicero will put the same skill and energy that earned that honor into your claim.
How You Can Sustain a Spinal Cord Injury at Work
Some jobs present more opportunities than others for spinal cord injuries, but unfortunately, these injuries can happen just about anywhere. Construction workers face numerous risks on the job. Falls are a common cause of these injuries, and these jobs often involve working on roofs, scaffolding, or other high places.
Workers who have to lift heavy materials or equipment also have elevated chances of spinal cord injuries. Still, sometimes falls happen on the wet floor of an office building, school, or hospital. An employee could fall down a poorly lit stairwell or after leaning on a rickety stair railing not marked as hazardous.
Motor-vehicle accidents present spinal-cord injury risks as well. If you drive to your job or are en route to a work meeting and have an accident, your injuries are job-related. Do not take “no” for an answer if an employer tells you your injury is not workers’ comp eligible because it did not happen on-site. Reach out to a Cicero spinal cord injury workers’ comp lawyer for help and answers.
Spinal Cord Injuries Are Often Life Changing
The consequences of a spinal cord injury can include physical, emotional, and financial debilitation. Victims can experience complete or partial paralysis. They may have muscle spasms, tingling, or weakness. Spinal cord injuries can make it impossible to breathe without artificial help in some cases.
Physical pain and disability often cause depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. Victims grieve for their lost abilities and, in some cases, their independence. Family relationships change in unwanted ways as loved ones take on difficult caregiving roles.
Since spinal cord injuries are usually disabling, chances are you will not be able to return to work, at least not for a while or in the same capacity as prior to the injury. Your exorbitant medical bills, along with this loss of income, can destroy your future financial outlook. In the midst of these consequences, dealing with a workplace accident claim will only add to your stress. Therman Law can handle it for you.
How a Spinal Cord Injury Workers’ Comp Attorney in Cicero Can Help You
An attorney provides immediate help, protecting you from missteps that may hurt your chances of recovering workers’ compensation. We also offer support. Your injury and workers’ compensation are new to you. An experienced Cicero spinal cord injury workers’ comp attorney has worked with clients in your situation before. We can make your experience less frightening and bring you some hope.
Our team will get to work compiling evidence to support your claim. We will help you prepare for doctor’s visits, advising you on what to say or not say and how to document proof of your compliance with all treatment protocols.
Your attorney will also handle the details of your application. These applications are examined carefully. Small errors can prompt a rejection. We know how to avoid those errors and what types of information to include.
We Know the Law
The protections offered by workers’ comp benefits are included in the Illinois General Assembly (ILGA) EMPLOYMENT (820 ILCS 305/) Workers’ Compensation Act. Unpacking the language of the Act can be difficult for those without a legal background.
Our workers’ comp attorneys know the law and how it applies. We know the responsibilities of employers and insurance companies, and we know the rights of injured workers. You can trust us to lead the fight to get all damages work injury victims can recover under the Workers’ Compensation Act.
What Workers’ Compensation Benefits Provide
The Illinois Handbook on Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Diseases provides an overview of the workers’ compensation application process and benefits. Benefits available to injured workers include:
- The medical care is “reasonably required” to cure the injury or relieve the employee of its effects
- Partial wages while off work and recovering
- Vocational rehabilitation for those able to work, but not able to perform the duties of their pre-injury job
- Death benefits for the surviving family members of employees killed in the accident
A critical first step in the process is informing your employer of your injury. For most injuries, you have 45 days to make the report, but sooner is always better. Connect with an attorney after making your injury report to your employer.
Types of Disability Benefits
Disability benefits represent your partial wage recovery. Depending on the nature of your injury or illness, you can receive:
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) if you cannot work in any capacity while recovering
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) if you can work, but not at the same earning capacity while recovering
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) if you have a permanent disability or disfigurement, but can work in some capacity
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD) if you are permanently injured or disfigured and unable to work at all
We can review your case for free and determine the benefits you are eligible to collect.
Therman Law Is Ready to Help
An occupational injury may prevent you from working and earning, but it doesn’t stop your bills from piling up. Therman Law can help you get the workers’ compensation you are entitled to, so you get coverage for your medical costs and the finances you need to support yourself.
Connect with a Cicero spinal cord injury workers’ comp lawyer for a free case consultation today.
