Dallas Workplace Injury Lawyer

Helping Dallas Workers Obtain Benefits after a Workplace Injury

Workplace accidents range from violent explosions at factories to slow, repetitive motion injuries which creep up on a person but are very disabling. At The Pennington Firm, we help injured workers obtain financial compensation whenever they struggle with a workplace injury. Most employers helpfully have workers’ compensation insurance or have self-insured, and you should get medical care paid for. However, a lawyer’s help is critical to maximizing your compensation, especially if your employer opted out of workers’ compensation. Call us today to schedule a consultation with a Dallas workplace injury lawyer at our firm.

What is Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation is an insurance system for workers. It provides benefits when a worker is injured on the job:

Reasonable and necessary medical care to treat your injuries. This might include doctor’s visits, surgery, medications, physical rehabilitation, and other treatment.

Temporary income benefits. Workers’ compensation pays a portion of your lost wages if you can’t work due to disability. Typically, workers get 70% of the difference between their pre-injury wage and whatever they can earn after injury.

Vocational rehabilitation services. These services remove barriers to employment. For example, workers might qualify for retraining so they can get back to work in a different job.

These are no-fault benefits available for on-the-job injuries or occupational illnesses. The no-fault is key. Workers’ comp should cover almost all injuries while working, with limited exceptions (like a coworker who intentionally injures you for personal reasons). However, workers’ compensation does not provide anything for pain and suffering, emotional distress, or similar intangible losses.

If you are hurt while working, you must report the injury to your employer within 30 days to preserve benefits. You will also need to file your claim within one year of your accident or the day they learned you had an illness.

Texas has a 7-day waiting period for temporary income benefits. You won’t be paid for the first week of disability unless you are disabled for at least 14 days.

Employers Who Don’t Carry Workers’ Compensation

Your employer might have purchased a private occupational injury benefit plan instead. Contact your Human Resources office. These plans have different requirements than workers’ comp, e.g., you might only get 24 hours to report an accident. Nonetheless, these plans should pay benefits for on-the-job injuries.

If an employer doesn’t even have a private injury plan, then you might go ahead and sue them if they are at fault. For example, lax safety could have led to your injury.

How Our Dallas Workplace Injuries Lawyer Can Help

Workers’ compensation cases do not require a lawyer’s help. But there are real benefits to calling our firm.

For example, we can gather evidence to prove your injury. Many people are denied benefits because an insurer does not believe the injury happened at work or they believe the injury isn’t serious. No one who is struggling with pain and bodily limitations should try to find this evidence themselves. Let us build up the factual record for your claim.

Even those who receive benefits might have them terminated. A doctor might claim you can return to work after modification. A lawyer can fight this termination by showing you remain disabled.

Look for a lawyer with deep experience in workplace accidents and injuries. The Pennington Firm has helped many people like you navigate the system successfully.

Appealing a Workers’ Compensation Denial

Many applicants are shocked to receive a denial. They are in pain, but the insurance company rejects their claim. Call our firm. The good news is that workers have rights to an appeal. We can file your petition within 45 days to the district or county court where you live. We can also present evidence to the judge, who might award you benefits.

Increasing the Compensation Available

Even if you seek workers’ compensation benefits, you might have a third-party claim for an injury. For example, you might have been injured by someone who is not your employer:

• Defective product. Maybe a ladder collapsed underneath you, or your computer at work caught on fire. You might sue a manufacturer of a defective product.
• Motor vehicle accident. If you travel for work, a negligent driver might have struck you. We can seek compensation from them for the accident.
• Premises defect. While traveling, you might be injured by a defect, such as falling in a motel.

These third-party claims are helpful. We can seek full compensation—full lost wages, as well as compensation for pain and suffering. Our law firm always considers whether a third-party claim makes sense in your case.

Contact a Dallas Workplace Injury Attorney for a Free Consultation!

The Pennington Firm can handle all legal issues related to a workplace accident or illness. Contact us today.