This Article Written for Willhoite Law, PLLC
Accidents can happen anytime, even when you are at work. Maybe you slipped on a wet floor, or you sustained some form of injury while you were performing your work. When these things occur, you can actually apply for workers’ compensation.
Most especially when a work is considered a high risk, the workers’ compensation laws dictates that there should be a replacement income as well as medical care for the injured worker. Workers Compensation laws also ask as a trade-off. The injured employee gets paid in exchange for not suing the company. In effect, it sets a win-win situation for both parties. Workers compensation benefit varies from one state to the next but is usually paid through a workers compensation provider. Most of the time, this provider is an insurance company. However, before you are able to claim for compensation benefit, you would need to prepare several things.
The first thing that you need to do is to inform your company about the injury. It would also be a good idea to take pictures of the injury as well as where the injury had taken place. Although most of the time a written claim form is not required. You can inform your company about the injury without any written claim.
Now it would be the responsibility of the company to inform the insurance provider about the injury. Once this has been done, the insurer will begin provisional liability payments while investigating facts. The results of the investigation would determine whether payments would still continue. During this time that pictures of your injury, as well as hospital records can support your claim. The insurance provider would generally be able to give a definite decision within twenty-one days after being informed or before the provisional liability payment ends. If they decline to pay you any compensation, you have the right to appeal in court. Most of the people fear to go into legal complications and try to deal with all the expenses with the help of their insurance companies. But, possibilities are there that your insurance company might also try to prove that it was you who was at fault to save their own money.
Unfortunately, all workers cannot get the claim compensation. Sometimes, their application is rejected. An unfortunate person does not have any option but to hire a worker’s compensation lawyer in such cases. Tulsa workers compensation lawyer is a professional person who can give you thorough guidance and information in your legal matters. Workers compensation is a complex case and it is not possible for an ordinary person to understand the complications on his own. It is better to seek expert help before proceeding with such a case.
Tulsa workers compensation lawyer is knowledgeable and specialized in workers compensation claims. He will be able to advise you of your rights to compensation and will be ready to take your case on a contingency basis. What this means is that you can get a free initial consultation to see if you have a claim and they will handle the negotiations for you, without any money from your pocket. In the event settlement is made, there will be an agreed-upon amount or percentage that goes to the lawyer but evidence has shown that claims involving a lawyer have a better success rate and result in better settlement compensation.
It is important that you seek expert legal advice as soon as you can after the incident has occurred. This makes it easier to get witness accounts that are accurate and there may be time limits on making certain workers compensation claims. You need an expert medical assessment because this can decide your need for continuing medical treatment and can determine the amount of your medical injury. Your time off work can be determined by the outcome of these assessments and your course of medical treatment depends on it, too.
In addition, you will need to speak with an experienced Tulsa workers compensation lawyer to get your claim started and this will allow for faster payment of medical bills and aid the settlement negotiations for your lost earnings. Determining the amount of your financial compensation depends on the extent of your medical injuries but this need to be properly documented and a legal expert in workers comp cases can help you through the process. Once the worker’s compensation insurance lawyers get involved, there needs to be a clear defense strategy in place and an expert is what you need to look for when you are searching for the proper legal representation
However, you must take care of a few things before hiring a lawyer for your case. Here are few points that might be useful in hiring a right Tulsa workers compensation lawyer:
- Getting recommendations can be very useful. You can ask your family and friends for prospective local Tulsa workers compensation lawyers. You will easily get the names of the most experienced and reputed lawyers in this field. This is a very handy way to get good lawyers.
- After communicating with few lawyers, you must investigate into their professional background. Experience is an important aspect when it comes to choosing the right lawyer. Tulsa workers compensation lawyer knows the feasible outcomes of a legal issue because they are well experienced in these kinds of cases. He can evaluate the chances of a case in no time. Another benefit of hiring an experienced lawyer is that he is likely to have strong connections with influential court staffs. This can be an added advantage for you.
- You should make sure that your lawyer holds a proper qualification to fight your case. Check his certifications carefully before hiring him as your lawyer.
- After you have selected a lawyer, you should check with your local bar association in order to make sure your lawyer holds a valid license to fight cases in your area. This will rule out the probabilities of hiring a false person.
Workers compensation law is a somewhat complex and specialized area of the law, concerning many details which only a qualified Tulsa workers compensation lawyer will feel comfortable with handling. Though, if you are able to find such a qualified workers compensation lawyer, you can be assured that the compensation which you receive, will far outweigh the costs of any legal fees. A reliable attorney is one who is trustworthy, qualified, and experienced in this field.