If you, your spouse, or a family member was injured on the job in West Chester, PA, you may be entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits, or “Workers’ Compensation.” Workers’ Compensation provides coverage for work injury-related expenses and losses, including benefits for surviving dependents of employees who were killed in fatal workplace accidents. With over 100 years of combined experience representing injured and disabled workers, the West Chester Workers’ Compensation attorneys of Lerner, Steinberg & Associates can help you file a claim for benefits following a work-related accident in Pennsylvania. For a free legal consultation, call our law offices at (215) 355-6400 right away.
Who Qualifies for Workers’ Compensation Benefits in PA?
Most types of employers are required to provide Workers’ Compensation benefits under Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation law, which is aptly called the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. Broad in scope, the law provides Workers’ Compensation coverage for the majority of employees in Pennsylvania, including part-time workers, full-time workers, and even seasonal workers across a wide array of industries and occupations. Whether you work in finance, manufacturing, construction, education, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, hospitality, business, or other sectors of the economy, you are likely to be covered by the law.
While most of West Chester’s workforce is covered by Workers’ Compensation, there are some types of employees who are not included in the law. The following types of workers are generally not covered by Workers’ Compensation laws in Pennsylvania:
- Federal Government Civilian Employees
- Harbor Workers
- Longshoremen
- Railroad Workers
- Shipyard Workers
However, that does not mean such workers have no legal recourse following a work-related injury. For employees outside of the Workers’ Compensation law, remedies may be available under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), or other pieces of legislation protecting the rights of injured workers.
In Pennsylvania, injured employees are normally prohibited from suing their employer following a job-related injury. However, this prohibition does not apply to third parties, such as an outside company that supplies your employer with equipment. If you were injured by defective equipment, machinery, or safety gear at work, you may have a “cause of action” (legal grounds) for bringing a personal injury lawsuit against the company that designed or manufactured the defective product responsible for your injury.
At Lerner, Steinberg & Associates, our goal is to see that our clients receive the maximum possible compensation for their injuries. We can identify the potential routes toward compensation, and help you explore your options effectively.
What Benefits Are Available for Workplace Injuries and Accidents?
Workers’ Compensation benefits are available for a wide array of workplace accidents and work-related injuries in West Chester, PA. Examples of work-related accidents that can lead to a Workers’ Compensation claim include:
- Accidental Falls from Heights
- Amputation Accidents
- Caught-In/Caught-Between Accidents
- Chemical Spill Accidents
- Company Car Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Crane Accidents
- Defective Product Accidents
- Electrocution Accidents
- Explosions and Fires
- Forklift Accidents
- Industrial Accidents
- Manufacturing Accidents
- Object Strikes
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Warehouse Accidents
These and other accidents can produce an array of costly, disabling, sometimes fatal injuries. Types of work injury claims our West Chester Workers’ Compensation lawyers handle include:
- Asthma
- Back Injuries
- Blood Loss
- Broken Bones (Bone Fractures)
- Cancer
- Carpal Tunnel
- Chemical Burns
- Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Crush Injuries
- Cuts (Lacerations)
- Dental Injuries
- Facial Injuries
- Foot Injuries
- Hand Injuries
- Head Injuries
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
- Hearing Loss
- Joint Injuries
- Nerve Damage
- Occupational Illness and Lung Disease
- Paralysis and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
- Permanent Scarring and Disfigurement
- Severed Fingers
- Severed Thumbs
- Severed Toes
- Soft Tissue Injuries (Sprains, Strains)
- Third Degree Burns
- Vision Loss
- Wrongful Death
If you or a loved one suffered these or other injuries in a West Chester workplace accident, you may have a right to Workers’ Compensation benefits. Several different types of benefits may be available to you under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, including:
- Medical Care Benefits – Medical care benefits may be available if you require medical treatment for a work-related injury. Medical care benefits pay for “reasonable surgical and medical services rendered by a physician or other health care provider.”
- Wage-Loss Benefits – Wage-loss benefits may be available if you are either totally or partially disabled, and you are being paid less than you were prior to the injury.
- Specific Loss Benefits – Specific loss benefits may be available if you have either:
- Suffered permanent and major disfigurement of the hands, neck, or face.
- Permanently lost function of a finger, thumb, hand, toe, foot, arm, or leg. Vision loss and hearing loss are also grounds for specific loss benefits.
- Death Benefits – Death benefits may be available if you are the surviving dependent of an employee who was killed in a fatal work accident.
Benefits are available for both total disability and partial disability. Partial disability benefits may be terminated after a period of up to 500 weeks (approximately nine and a half years, or 115 months). Benefits may also be suspended or terminated if you return to work and earn the same amount, or more than the amount, that you were earning before the injury.
West Chester Workers’ Compensation Lawyer for Injured Employees
It can be very difficult to obtain the benefits you need to support yourself and your family after a workplace accident in West Chester. However, skilled legal representation can make the process easier, less stressful, and more efficient. If you or a loved one was hurt on the job in West Chester or the surrounding communities, such as Exton, Chadds Ford, Glen Mills, Marshallton, or West Goshen, call the West Chester Workers’ Compensation lawyers of Lerner, Steinberg & Associates at (215) 355-6400 for a free legal consultation today.
