Workers’ compensation claims versus civil lawsuits

Arizona residents are likely aware of the fact that work environments can be dangerous. Even with the many Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations and safety requirements that employers are expected to abide by, work environments still often contain many hazards and dangers. Sometimes, the danger of a work environment inevitably results in an injury. Such a workplace accident can have devastating results. When a worker or a loved one is involved in such an accident, victims and their families have rights.

Workers who are injured on the job may not be aware of the workers’ compensation laws that protect them. Many may not know the difference between a civil lawsuit and a workers’ compensation claim. In fact, workers’ compensation exists so that an employee does not always need to sue his or her employer in the case of a workplace accident. Before the system was created, victims had to undergo a lengthy court procedure and file a civil lawsuit. Since the implementation of workers’ compensation, this is no longer always required.

Sometimes, an injury at work was caused by a defective piece of equipment or another manufacturer’s error. In these cases, it may be appropriate to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer in addition to claiming workers’ compensation. These situations can be complicated, and often require legal advice to make sense of the various nuances involved.

Workers’ compensation cases can involve many legal nuances. Sometimes, these can prove to be overwhelming. Thankfully, attorneys are available to potentially help guide injured workers through the process of claiming workers’ compensation benefits. By successfully obtaining workers’ compensation benefits, workers are often able to cover the many expenses that can result from such an injury and move on in their lives.

Source: FindLaw, “Workers’ comp in depth,” Accessed on February 1, 2015

Content retrieved from: https://www.jeromegibsonlawfirm.com/blog/2016/02/workers-compensation-claims-versus-civil-lawsuits/.