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In every workplace, some hazards need to be addressed as they can lead to injuries. But, there are cases where there aren’t hazards, and an employee still suffers an injury. So, in that regard, what then are some of the things to understand before you settle a workplace injury case? To gain proper insight, you must keep reading.
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How severe is the injury?
Before anything else, it is important to know the severity of such an injury. You can suffer injuries in the workplace that wouldn’t necessarily put you out of work for a sustained period. But, on the other hand, there are also career-threatening injuries that one may suffer in the workplace that would need to be highly compensated. So, knowing this is important before settling a workplace injury case as it will help you gauge how much compensation you should be asking for.
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Should you get a lawyer for a work injury?
Another thing you need to understand is if there would be a need to seek legal advice or not for a workplace injury. Most times, workers in Arizona who sustain severe injuries in a workplace might not be duly compensated and may be cheated by the highly trained workers comp adjusters. The workers’ compensation lawyer from https://www.fendonlaw.net/ says having an expert on board cannot be underestimated as they would most likely help you smoke out in any foul play these trained workers’ comp insurance adjusters may want to present. It’s always important to have someone trained in these cases on your team.
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Knowing if you should settle for a lump sum payment
It is important to understand certain things before agreeing to the offer on the ground, and one of the things to understand is the lump sum payment. This type of payment comes with some advantages as well as disadvantages. By accepting it, there is every possibility that you may have to forfeit the medical insurance, current employment, and lastly, income for life. However, some of the advantages of this kind of payment are; you can have investment opportunities, control of your care, and the payment can also be large.
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It is important to know your rights
There are cases where employees have been released from their workplace due to injuries sustained due to their negligence. For instance, an employee might damage a company’s property by being intoxicated or consuming harmful substances during work hours. Other than that, injured employees have legal rights that must be fulfilled. Some of the rights are; being allowed to resume work after recovering, receive compensation due to the employee’s inability to perform his or her duties.
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Understand the cause of injury
There are often several causes of injuries in different work environments. Some of them are; unsafe working conditions, robberies at work, and even forklifts accidents are just a few. An employee has the right to complain if he or she is working in an unsafe environment, resulting in a workplace injury. If an employee suffers injuries from any of these causes, he or she has a case to be settled.
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Figuring out what a reasonable amount is
For someone who intends to settle, reaching an agreement that is comfortable and fair cannot be overemphasized. For instance, an insurer can propose an amount of say $20,000, and after you and your attorneys are through with calculating, that amount might be way lesser than the estimated amount. So, to avoid running into a financial crisis, both parties must reach an agreement that would suit them.
Furthermore, there would always be options made available to you. Understanding each option is important as you wouldn’t want to make the wrong decisions that could affect you in the long run or even the short term.
When making your demands known, you need to be sure if the insurance adjuster is on the same page as you, or rather if they fully understand what your intentions are. Most times, these highly skilled insurance adjusters are there to find loopholes where they can capitalize on. Also, letting your lawyer accompany you through each step might be quite helpful to your settlement case.
Lastly, injuries can cause an employee to suffer mentally, physically, and not to mention financially. Therefore, there are several factors that come into play that you must understand before trying to settle a workplace injury case. This is why the things mentioned above are there to serve as a guide to make the right decisions and avoid suffering in the long term.
