If you were injured at the workplace or while performing the duties of your job, you might be thinking of initially filing a worker’s compensation claim. Workers compensation claims can pay for the cost of your medical bills and help you recover damages associated with the case. One option you may not have considered in this case is filing a personal injury claim. Filing a personal injury claim could provide you with a better level of compensation than workers compensation could provide.
If you’ve been injured at work it’s possible that you may feel the only option you have is to settle through worker’s compensation. In many situations, it is possible to file a personal injury claim for the accident as well. A personal injury claim does not mean that you’re suing your employer, third parties may often be responsible for the injuries that you sustain at work.
The Main Difference Between Workers Compensation Claims And Personal Injury:
The largest difference between these claims is proving a fault for your injury. If you were injured as a result of a poor safety mechanism or a coworker, your employer or a third-party product caused your injury you might be able to determine the fault of the injury and that it was preventable. In these cases, you could file a personal injury claim as well as receive worker’s compensation.
Receiving only worker’s compensation will not allow you to receive anything beyond the economic costs for the damages that you suffered. A personal injury claim will allow you to recover outside economic costs such as for pain-and-suffering, counseling as a result of your injury and more. Workers compensation will only allow you to recover damages for medical expenses, weekly compensation for your wages as well as ongoing benefits for permanent impairment and rehab.
If you would like to learn more about the best type of claim for your needs, contact our attorneys today. We can let you know more about the best type of claim that will work for your situation.
This post was written by Wendy Doyle-Palumbo. Wendy is a New Port Richey Injury Lawyer at Wendy Doyle-Palumbo, Esq. Wendy has over 25 years of experience practicing law and has won several cases in helping those get the compensation that they deserve!