Deciding Whether You Need a Workers’ Comp Lawyer In this video, I answer the question of whether you need a lawyer or not in your workers’ compensation claim. When do you need a workers’ comp lawyer, and what might they do for you? This is the final video of my Workers’ Comp 101 series. Video Transcript Hello, this is Darrell Castle. I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee. And on this video, I’m talking about whether you need an attorney to handle a workers’ compensation case, or a case where you’ve been injured on the job. And the answer to that question depends, of course, like most lawyer questions. The answer is: it depends.
The Basics of Workers’ Compensation What is workers’ compensation, and how can it help if you’re injured on the job? In this overview of workers’ compensation, I discuss how the process works and give you an idea of what we do as workers’ comp attorneys. This is the first video in our series on workers’ compensation. There is so much information to be covered that it couldn’t be shared in only one video. Episode 3: Disability and Workers’ Comp Episode 4: Do I Need a Workers’ Comp Lawyer? Video Transcript (Overview of Workers’ Compensation): Hello, I’m Darrell Castle, an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee. Today, we’re talking about workers’ compensation in this first edition.
In Chapter 2 of our Workers’ Comp 101 series, I talk about injuries with a third party involved and what this means for you. How are these cases handled?
Who Is Responsible for An Electrocution Injury? Electrocution accidents often happen through no fault of your own and they can be totally traumatizing, let alone expensive. Here’s what you need to know about workers’ comp and electrocution, including why you should hire a workers’ comp lawyer who understands personal injury law. Workers’ Comp vs. Other Compensation With an on-the-job electrical injury, you typically have three options for compensation: Workers’ comp (the most common) Product liability claim against a manufacturer Negligence claim against another party, like a general contractor Firstly, if you’re injured on the job, typically you can get workers’ comp to help cover your medical expenses. By law, your employer keeps insurance coverage for this exactly situation. This is
Allergies and worker’s compensation By: Darrell Castle Allergic reactions happen all the time in the American workplace, and can be extremely serious depending on the person. Some common examples might be: Mold. Common in many workplaces, mold can cause respiratory damage. Asbestos. An infamous (and common) building material that can cause severe skin reactions, respiratory problems, and cancer. Office chemicals. Anything from cleaning supplies to the chemicals in the carpet can cause some people to have terrible asthma attacks. Some very harsh chemicals in settings like hospitals can even cause serious burns. Most recently I met a woman severely injured from using latex. The job required she wear latex gloves, and neither she nor her employer knew she was allergic.
Workers’ comp doctors vs regular doctors When you’re injured on the job in Tennessee, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance will provide you with three options of doctors to be evaluated and treated by. The doctor you choose will evaluate your injury to determine your disability rating, which will in turn determine the amount of lump sum compensation you’ll receive, if any, or if you should get back to work. Let’s say you receive a 6% disability rating after you injured your hand on the job. The 6% rating to your hand means that you’re 6% less able to earn a living with that hand than you were before. So, you’re entitled to a lump sum benefit for that disability. If
How Independent Contractors and Workers’ Comp Impact Each Other If you’ve been injured on the job as an independent contractor, you may have a lot of questions about whether you might be eligible for workers’ compensation. Bear in mind the role of independent contractors and the protection of workers’ compensation are two completely different areas of business and the law. Workers’ compensation covers employees of a specific company. Independent contractors are, by definition, not employees. But there is a lot of confusion about how these two things relate with each other and don’t – and whether you qualify as an employee or contractor to begin with. So here’s what you need to know about workers’ compensation as an independent contractor.
By: Darrell Castle Video Transcript Hello this is Darrell Castle and I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and on this video today I want to talk to you about workers’ compensation. What happens when you’re injured on the job and you receive workers’ compensation benefits? A lump sum settlement perhaps? Well most of the time, you have the right to medical care for life for that injury. That’s called “leaving the medicals open for that injury.” Anytime you need to have treatment for that injury, you can go back to your workers’ comp doctor and get that treatment. That happens quite often. Now, you can settle that. You can close out your medicals at
As human beings, we aren’t perfect and make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes can cause injury, especially if you work in a labor intensive industry like construction. This is why companies carry workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance is meant to give supplemental compensation to employees who are injured on the job for their lost wages. However, with new Tennessee laws, the process has changed, and not necessarily for the best. Let’s do a little role play to further explain. Joe works for a company building houses everyday. On a windy workday, he is climbing up a ladder to get onto the roof to do some work when all of the sudden, a gust of wind hits the ladder causing it
Help If You’ve Been Injured on the Job By law, employers must carry workers’ comp insurance to cover their employees for on-the-job injuries. So what does a workers’ compensation attorney do? And how can they help? When you’re hurt on the job and have to miss work, workers’ comp should cover your financial needs. This includes: Lost wages Medical expenses Personal therapy and other injury-related costs Ideally, this process would all go smoothly so you can focus entirely on recovering. But unfortunately, sometimes the insurance company denies your claim or refuses to pay what you actually need. That’s where we come in. Workers’ comp laws are difficult and complex. And the paperwork can take enormous time and energy. As a