Workplace Accidents And On-The-Job Injuries

If you have been injured in a work-related accident, applying for workers’ compensation benefits is not the only available option for getting your medical care expenses covered and your wage losses at least partially reimbursed. At Boon Calk Echols Coleman & Goolsby PLLC in Longview, our personal injury attorneys have the knowledge and experience to represent victims who have sustained workplace injuries while on the job.

Why You Need An Attorney For Your Injury Case

In many cases, employees will find that their workers’ compensation claim will be disputed by their employer or their employer’s insurance provider, and they will need to fight in order to get all of the treatment they need in order to fully recover from their injuries. With an attorney on your side, you can demand the appropriate treatment be provided to you and that your claim be honored.

Workers’ Comp Is Not The Only Option For Workplace Injury Compensation

It is a common misconception that the only way for an injured employee to recover damages is through filing a workers’ compensation claim. While a workers’ compensation claim may be a viable option to recover damages for a workplace injury, it might not be the only one. Many workplace accident victims have valid personal injury claims that they could pursue against negligent third parties and even against their own employers. It is also a commonly held misconception that you cannot apply for and receive workers’ compensation benefits while still retaining the right to sue a third party or employer. You can.

Liability For Grossly Negligent Employers In Texas

Generally speaking, job-related injuries that are caused by the ordinary negligence of a worker’s employer or by the actions of a co-worker will not create a valid legal cause of action for personal injury. Texas, however, does allow workers to pursue personal injury lawsuits against employers for gross negligence. Unfortunately, these sorts of accidents usually cause catastrophic and severe injuries, and sometimes these injuries can be fatal. Gross negligence has been defined as an act or omission that involves a subjective awareness of an extreme degree of risk. It involves a conscious indifference to the rights, safety or welfare of others. In other words, an employer knows that there is a risk and does not take care to protect their employees by consciously disregarding that risk. In our experience, this level of negligence is most common among employers in the already dangerous fields of industrial operations, manufacturing, construction and oil drilling.

Third-Party Workplace Accident Claims

Injured workers may also seek to recover compensation for injuries and other damages from any third parties whose actions (or employees’ actions) caused or contributed to causing the accidents. Such third parties typically include manufacturers of defective products, outside vendors and service providers, and employers who have workers present at a job or construction site.

We Offer Free Case Evaluations

If you do have a viable personal injury claim, and we can accept your case, rest assured that our law firm will spare no amount of effort or resources to see that you receive the compensation you deserve. If you want or need the kind of legal help we offer, contact us at 903-704-0592 or reach out online for a free consultation with one of our accident attorneys. We handle workplace accident and injury cases on a contingency basis, which means that you will not be asked to pay our firm any legal fees unless we obtain a verdict or settlement on your behalf.