Workers’ compensation pays medical bills and partial wages — but it pays nothing for pain and suffering, and it’s usually the only claim you can bring against your own employer. What most injured workers never learn: when someone other than your employer caused your injury, you can pursue a separate third-party injury claim on top of workers’ comp. That second claim can substantially exceed what workers’ compensation pays, because it includes categories of damages comp never covers.
Where Third-Party Claims Hide
A delivery driver rear-ended on the job has a claim against the at-fault driver. A construction worker hurt by another subcontractor’s crew has a claim against that subcontractor. A warehouse worker injured by a defective machine or forklift may have a claim against the manufacturer. A worker hurt on a customer’s dangerous premises may have a premises claim. If any person or company outside your employer contributed to your injury, there’s a claim to evaluate.
Comp and the Third-Party Claim Work Together
You can — and usually should — collect workers’ compensation while the third-party case proceeds. The comp insurer may assert a lien on part of the third-party recovery, and negotiating that lien down is part of the job. The result done right: comp pays now, the third-party claim pays what comp never covers, and the lien is negotiated down to the lowest amount the law allows.
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From the blog: Hurt at Work in Missouri? You May Have More Options Than Workers’ Comp.
The consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win. When you’re hurt, call Kurt. (417) 553-4898 — or request a free case review.