Port St. Lucie Work Injury Lawyer
Workplace accidents are frequent. Indeed, thousands of workers must spend time away from work to recover from an injury or occupational illness. At Smith, Ball & Baez, we help injured workers find compensation to cover their injuries. Contact our firm today. A Port St. Lucie work injury lawyer on our staff can help you access workers’ compensation benefits or even file a lawsuit against a third party responsible for your injuries.
We Have Helped Injured Workers for Decades
Workplace injuries are often caused by:
- Explosions or fires
- Falls, especially falls off buildings
- Trip and falls
- Electrocution
- Motor vehicle collisions
- Toxic exposure
- Repetitive movements and stress
The most dramatic type of workplace accident involves a fall or explosion. It is very easy to tie the injuries you have suffered to the workplace accident. But other injuries or illnesses are harder to connect to your job. For example, you might come down with cancer or a respiratory illness. You need to show how exposure to dangerous substances at work led to your illness. Similarly, many workers suffer repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome, due to repetitive motions at work. We need to exclude the possibility that you suffered this type of injury away from your job.
An injured worker should qualify for workers’ compensation if they were hurt while working. In Florida, you can immediately become eligible for these benefits:
- Medical care. Your employer should pay for all necessary care to treat your injuries.
- Temporary total disability benefits. You can receive these benefits if your doctor says you cannot work.
- Temporary partial disability benefits. Workers cleared to return with restrictions can receive these benefits to make up for some of the loss in wages.
- Impairment income benefits. You can receive these benefits when some impairment remains after reaching maximum medical improvement.
- Permanent total disability. You can qualify for these benefits if you are unable to work at all after reaching maximum medical improvement.
- Vocational benefits. Injured workers might need additional training or education to return to work, and you can usually qualify for vocational benefits.
Florida also offers a death benefit when workers die from a workplace accident or illness. Only certain family members can qualify to receive this benefit.
Under Florida law, you can’t sue your employer even if the workplace was unsafe. However, you might have a claim against some other party, like a customer, vendor, or manufacturer. For example, a ladder you used might have collapsed due to a design defect, so the manufacturer could face liability for your fall. We always review whether you can bring this type of third-party claim. If so, you can seek full compensation for your losses, including pain and suffering which workers’ comp does not cover.
Call Us to Get Started
We wish the workers’ compensation process was transparent and easy. Unfortunately, many injured workers struggle to get the benefits they need. Let us review the facts of your injury and offer advice about how to qualify for benefits. We can also sue a third party for your injuries, where appropriate. Contact our firm to speak with a Port St. Lucie work injury lawyer.
