If you get hurt on the job, your only recourse is to file a workers comp claim. You would hope that after working for a company for several months or years, they would do the right thing and take care of an employee who gets injured on the job. Unfortunately, these things usually come down to money, and no employer wants to pay it if they don’t have to.
Our North Carolina workers comp lawyers meet with people every week who thought their employer would take care of them when they got hurt on the job. Instead, their workers comp claim was denied, and they found themselves without benefits. Some of them even found themselves without a job.
The odds of this happening to you are much greater if you don’t have a Charlotte, North Carolina injury lawyer helping you. We suggest you contact our office as soon as possible after your workplace accident. We do offer a free consultation, so you get to sit down with an attorney and have them review your case free of charge. This will give you a chance to decide if you want to hire them or if you want to proceed on your own.
Here, we will discuss the various reasons why it’s in your best interest to hire a lawyer to deal with your North Carolina workers comp claim right from the start. If you have questions about your own case and you need to speak with one of our associates, feel free to contact our office.
The Workers Compensation System in North Carolina Can Be Overwhelming
What a lot of people don’t realize is that dealing with the workers compensation system in Georgia can be overwhelming. There’s a ton of paperwork you have to fill out. There are certain deadlines you need to meet. And you need to do all of this while you’re still trying to get treatment for your injuries. It can be frustrating and time consuming.
What’s nice about having a North Carolina workers compensation lawyer is that they can do all this for you. They can help you file your initial workers comp claim and submit all the necessary paperwork. They can negotiate with your employer and their insurance carrier to make sure your benefits are paid. And if your workers comp claim is denied for some reason, they can help you file an appeal. While they’re doing all this, you can focus on getting the medical care you need.
Your Employer Will Take Your Case More Seriously if You Have a Workers Compensation Lawyer
One thing we’ve noticed over the years is that insurance adjusters take our clients a lot more seriously once they’ve retained an attorney. If an insurance company knows you don’t have an attorney, they’re going to try to take advantage of you. They may not return your phone calls or emails. They may put your workers comp claim on the back burner and get around to it when they have time.
Or they may deny your workers comp claim outright. Perhaps your claim is large, and they think they can settle for less down the road. Or they may have a legitimate basis for denying your workers comp claim. Either way, they don’t think you’re going to put up a fight if you don’t have an attorney.
This is one of the reasons we recommend that our clients contact our office and speak with a Charlotte, North Carolina injury attorney as soon as they can. One of our seasoned associates can help you through the workers compensation process and make sure your workers comp claim is handled properly from the start.
Your Lawyer Can File an Appeal if Your Workers Comp Claim is Denied
If your workers comp claim is denied, you will have a chance to file an appeal. Whether or not your attorney can get your appeal approved will depend on the reason it was denied. Some of the more common reasons employers and insurance companies deny workers comp claims include the following:
- they believe your injury took place somewhere off company property
- the insurance adjuster doesn’t think you were working at the time of your injury
- your drug test came back positive
- you refuse to be treated by a state approved workers comp doctor
- you do not comply with your medical treatment
- they find you had another job the whole time you’re trying to collect workers comp
- you have a history of filing workers comp claims
For almost all these reasons, your North Carolina injury lawyer can help. The one situation where there’s not much we can do as if your drug test came back positive for drugs or alcohol. You’re not going to find an employer or an insurance company who’s going to pay out a workers comp claim to somebody who’s under the influence at the time of their workplace accident.
You May Need to File Suit and It’s Better to Have an Attorney Help You Do That
There are times when a North Carolina workers compensation lawyer has to file suit on behalf of the client. Sometimes, no matter what your lawyer says or does, the insurance carrier is insistent on denying your workers comp claim.
If this is the case, our attorneys will have no problem filing suit on your behalf. The lawsuit will be filed against both your employer and their insurance carrier. It will demand benefits that should have been paid to you from the date of your injury going forward. If you suffered total or partial disability because of your workplace accident, they will demand compensation for that as well.
Contact an Experienced North Carolina Workers Compensation Lawyer
We always recommend that you contact a North Carolina workers compensation lawyer within days of your workplace accident. This will ensure that you have an attorney representing you when you file your initial workers comp claim. All you have to do is schedule your free, initial consultation with our office. You can do this by phone or through our website.
As stated above, if the insurance carrier doesn’t think you have an attorney, they will try to take advantage of you. They know that you’re desperate to get your medical bills paid and that you need replacement wages. They may try to get you to go back to work sooner than you’re ready to. Or they may try to force you to take a lower paying job when you come back. These are the kinds of things that Charlotte, North Carolina injury lawyers can help you with. Since your initial consultation is free, you don’t have anything to lose.
