Bridgeport, Connecticut Workers' Compensation Lawyers

Attorneys Helping People Injured in Workplace Accidents in Bridgeport, CT

Workplace accidents can happen across all industries and occupations, from construction sites and manufacturing facilities to offices and retail stores. When a person is injured while performing their job duties, the physical pain, medical challenges, and financial stress can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, workers' compensation benefits will usually be available for people who suffer work-related injuries.

The workers' compensation system offers multiple types of important benefits, including medical treatment and wage replacement. Benefits will usually be available regardless of who was at fault for the accident. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our attorneys provide representation for people who have been injured in workplace accidents. We can assist with workers' comp claims, and we can also determine whether additional compensation may be recovered through third-party personal injury claims.

Common Types of Workplace Accidents

Work-related injuries can take many forms, and they may include:

• Falls From Heights: These are among the most dangerous workplace accidents, and they may affect people who perform construction and maintenance work. Falling from ladders, scaffolding, roofs, or elevated platforms can cause catastrophic injuries. These accidents may be caused by unstable equipment, lack of proper fall protection, inadequate training, or unsafe work practices.
• Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents: Wet floors, cluttered walkways, uneven surfaces, poor lighting, and obstacles in paths may cause workers to lose their footing and fall. These accidents may take place in warehouses, retail stores, restaurants, or office buildings. While falls may sometimes result in minor injuries, serious harm such as broken bones and head trauma can occur.
• Falling Objects: Construction sites where materials are lifted overhead, warehouses with stacked inventory, and manufacturing facilities with moving machinery can present hazards where people may be struck by falling or flying objects.
• Entrapment: Workers may become trapped in machinery, between vehicles, or under collapsed structures. Manufacturing equipment with moving parts, construction trenches that collapse, and vehicles backing up in loading areas may lead to injuries. These accidents may cause crushing injuries, amputations, or fatalities.
• Repetitive Stress Injuries: Harm to different parts of the body can develop gradually when a person performs the same motions repeatedly over time. Carpal tunnel syndrome from keyboard work, back injuries from repeated lifting, and shoulder problems from overhead reaching all fall into this category. These injuries can be debilitating, and they may be covered by workers' compensation when work activities cause or aggravate them.
• Vehicle Accidents: Delivery drivers, sales representatives, truck drivers, and others who travel for work can be injured in motor vehicle collisions. These accidents may involve multiple parties, and victims may be able to recover compensation from negligent drivers or other parties who were responsible.
• Machinery Accidents: When equipment malfunctions or is used improperly, workers may suffer amputations, lacerations, or crush injuries. Inadequate machine guards, lack of lockout/tagout procedures, and defective equipment can contribute to these accidents.
• Chemical Exposure and Burns: Workers handling hazardous materials may suffer harm due to splashes, spills, inadequate ventilation, or a lack of proper protective equipment. Injuries may include burns, respiratory problems, and other forms of bodily harm due to toxic exposure. Long-term health effects may not appear until years after exposure.
• Electrocution: When workers contact live electrical sources, they may suffer serious harm. Construction workers, electricians, and maintenance personnel may be at risk of electrocution injuries. Even non-fatal electrical shocks can cause serious injuries, including burns and cardiac problems.
• Violence in the Workplace: Assaults by coworkers, customers, or third parties may result in injuries. Healthcare workers, retail employees, and security personnel may be injured in these situations. These incidents can cause both physical injuries and psychological trauma.

Workers' Compensation Benefits

There are several types of benefits that can help injured workers recover and replace lost income. The benefits available through workers' comp may include:

• Medical Benefits: All reasonable and necessary treatment for work-related injuries should be fully covered. This may include emergency care, doctor visits, surgeries, hospitalization, physical therapy, medications, medical equipment, and ongoing treatment needed to reach maximum medical improvement. Workers generally have the right to choose their treating physicians, and all approved medical expenses will be paid without deductibles or copayments.
• Temporary Total Disability Benefits: Wage replacement may be provided when a person's injuries have prevented them from performing any work during their recovery. These benefits will generally pay two-thirds of a person's average weekly wages. Temporary total disability will continue until a worker can return to work or reaches maximum medical improvement.
• Temporary Partial Disability Benefits: When a worker can return to light duty or part-time work but cannot perform their regular job at full capacity, they may receive benefits that address their loss of income. These benefits will generally pay two-thirds of the difference between a person's pre-injury wages and their current earnings.
• Permanent Partial Disability Benefits: When a person has experienced lasting impairments that do not completely prevent them from working but may permanently reduce their earning capacity, they can receive benefits that will address their losses. Benefits are calculated based on the nature and extent of permanent injuries.
• Permanent Total Disability Benefits: Ongoing wage replacement may be paid to a worker who cannot return to any substantial gainful employment due to their injuries. These benefits will continue for life or until circumstances change that allow a person to return to work.
• Vocational Rehabilitation: These benefits may be provided when injuries prevent a person from returning to their previous occupation, but they can potentially learn new skills for different employment. Training and education assistance can help a worker transition to a new career within their physical limitations.
• Death Benefits: Financial support may be paid to a person's dependents when workplace injuries result in death. Burial expenses and ongoing wage replacement can help a family cope with the loss of financial support.

Third-Party Claims for Additional Compensation

While workers' compensation provides important benefits, it may not compensate a person for all of the damages they have suffered due to a workplace injury. Third-party claims may allow a person to receive additional compensation from other parties whose negligence contributed to a workplace accident. These claims may include:

• Product Liability Claims: When defective equipment, tools, or machinery cause injuries, manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of defective products may be held liable for the harm their products have caused.
• Vehicle Accident Claims: When a worker is injured in a motor vehicle collision while driving for work, they may pursue a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver in addition to receiving workers' compensation benefits.
• Premises Liability Claims: When a worker has been injured on property owned by someone other than their employer, they may take steps to recover compensation from the property owner. Construction workers injured due to dangerous conditions on job sites controlled by general contractors or property owners or delivery drivers injured on customers' properties may be able to pursue premises liability claims.
• Negligent Security Claims: When workers are assaulted due to inadequate security at locations owned by third parties, they may be able to obtain compensation. Security guards, healthcare workers, and others working in high-risk environments may be able to pursue claims against property owners who failed to provide reasonable protection.

Contact Our Bridgeport Workplace Injury Attorneys

Workplace injuries can lead to physical, emotional, and financial challenges that may affect every aspect of a person's life. In these situations, a victim deserves to receive all benefits and compensation that may be available to them, including workers' compensation and any third-party claims. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our attorneys help injured workers take steps to secure full recovery for workplace injuries. Contact our Bridgeport, CT workers' comp lawyers at 203-335-5145 to schedule a free consultation and learn how we can help you recover compensation for a workplace injury.