Spartanburg Workers' Compensation Attorney
Upstate South Carolina Worker's Comp Lawyer
Taking Legal Action When You Have Been Hurt at Work
Upstate South Carolina is heavily industrialized. The people who work here work hard and, unfortunately, they sometimes pay for that hard work with serious injuries.
Before the workers' compensation system was created, workers could sue negligent employers for injuries they suffered on the job. But now, workers' compensation is the primary remedy for workers who are injured or suffer illness because of their working conditions. While workers' compensation has made it easier to recover money for your injuries or illness, it also limits the amount of compensation you might be able to receive.
At the Spartanburg, South Carolina, law office of Patrick E. Knie, much of my law practice focuses on helping injured workers get workers' compensation. For more than 35 years, I have been working hard to help my clients get the workers' comp benefits to which they are entitled:
- A weekly paycheck
- Payment of medical bills
- Settlement at the end of their case
Workers' compensation is a complex system. It makes sense to have an experienced workers' comp attorney on your side. You do have rights, including the right to workplace accommodations and the right not to be discriminated against or fired for your disability. I make sure your rights are respected.
Immediate Steps to Take to Protect Your Right to Compensation
The sooner an injured worker gets legal advice, the better. Many things can happen right after your injury that can have an impact on your workers' comp case down the road. The steps you take now can have a significant effect on your later recovery.
- Immediately report your injury to your supervisor
- Document your injury, illness or disabling condition to your employer and doctors
- Get the names of any witnesses if you were injured in an accident at work (I will get a statement from them)
- Make sure your injury is treated properly so you have the best chance for full recovery
Whose Doctor? Who Decides on Treatment?
If the company does not admit that you were injured in a work accident, you will need to seek your own medical treatment. As your lawyer, I work to help you prove your claim that your illness, head injury, back injury, shoulder injury, carpal tunnel injuries or other repetitive stress injuries were work-related.
If the company admits that your injury is work-related, they have the right to choose the doctor you will see. Too often the company-picked doctor is not the right kind of doctor for the particular medical condition. Rather than referring an injured worker to a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic doctor for diagnosis and treatment, they send the worker to a general practice physician. That doctor may not do the right kind of diagnostic testing to get an accurate or complete diagnosis.
If this is the situation you are in, I will bring your case before the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission to request a specialist. The Commission may order a different doctor or additional, more sophisticated tests (such as an MRI instead of an X-ray).
Returning to Work
It's common for the company doctor to certify that an injured worker is ready to go back to work before the injured worker is actually fully healed, or before the worker's own physician says he or she is ready to return. Going to work too soon may set back your physical recovery or make you vulnerable to additional injury.
If you feel your employer is pressuring you, or the company doctor has wrongly determined you need to go back to work, I can again take your case to the Workers' Compensation Commission to ask for an independent second opinion.
Other Options After a Workplace Accident
Sometimes when a personal injury happens at work there may be additional remedies available to the injured worker. This is especially true when a dangerous or defective product causes the accident, or when an independent contractor or third party is negligent. People who are suffering from mesothelioma may also be entitled to special compensation.
Contact me, a upstate South Carolina workers' comp lawyer, about your work injury, or call my Spartanburg law office at 864-641-3459 or toll free at 866-665-4995. Consultations are free and confidential.
