Every day, Americans, including Arizonans, are injured on the job. These injuries occur in various settings and have numerous causes. Road workers may be hit by a speeding car, building construction workers might fall from a harness, and industrial workers might be crushed by machinery. Sometimes these accidents are caused by unsafe working conditions and other times they are merely accidents outside of the employee and the employer’s control. Either way, the injured worker deserves to be taken care of financially when he is injured on the job.
One worker may need this support now after suffering a serious injury to his hand. The injured worker, who was working at a plant in an area where plastic bags are made, apparently suffered a broken finger, laceration, and the severing of the tip of one of his thumbs. Though the general manager of the plant where the incident occurred claims the machine did not malfunction, the accident remains under investigation.
An injury such as this can make life difficult. Work may be impossible leading to lost wages and learning how to do tasks with the new disability may be painful and take time. This is where workers’ compensation should lend a helping hand. Benefits extended by workers’ compensation should help cover medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages. Yet, all too often these claims are denied and workers are left to fend for themselves.
This does not have to be the case. Instead, an injured worker can contact a workers’ compensation attorney who will help him challenge the claim’s denial. The attorney will assess the workplace accident by analyzing witness statements, the worker’s experience, and other evidence. Then, the attorney can present legal arguments in an attempt to prove the worker is entitled to benefits. This may mean proving the accident took place while the worker was within his scope of employment and the accident caused the new injuries.
Workers risk life and limb for their employer’s sake. When they are injured on the job the least the employer and its insurance can do is offer the helping hand worker’s need and deserve. When they refuse to do so, an attorney can help try to force them to reach out.
Source: The Omaha World Herald, “Worker injured at Omaha’s Hiland Roberts plant,” Jay Withrow, Oct. 16, 2013
