Workplace Injuries
Most workers expect that in exchange for putting in hours of hard work on a daily basis, their employer will take good precautions to provide a safe work environment. Unfortunately, some employers put profits over employee safety. And sometimes other parties put workers at risk on the job. When a workplace has poor safety standards and procedures, faulty equipment, or careless management, injuries are more likely. In 2010, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration reported that 4,690 workers were killed on the job in the United States and 3.1 million were injured. More than half of those injured were hurt seriously enough to require days away from work, a job transfer, or restriction.
When a third party is responsible for a worker’s injury or death, our attorneys are skilled at representing the victims or their families in many of the most common types of workplace losses:
- Caught in/under/between – a part of the body is squeezed, pinched, or crushed in machinery.
- Falls – falls from ladders, roofs or other elevated surfaces; falls on dangerous surfaces
- Struck by/against – a part of the body hit by a moving or flying objects
- Motor vehicle accidents – car, truck, and other traffic accidents
- Work-related musculoskeletal, brain, and spine injuries
Federal and state governments have laws to protect workers and compensate them if an accident occurs. Unfortunately, some employers don’t abide by these rules, putting the health and safety of their staff at risk.
Third Party Claims–Beyond Workers’ comp
If the injury is the result of someone else’s vehicle, faulty equipment, or another defect, a third party may be responsible. The personal injury attorneys at The Corson & Johnson Law Firm are committed to making Oregon’s workplaces safer by aggressively prosecuting those “third party” cases, holding responsible parties accountable to safety rules. When workplace injuries occur without the involvement of third parties, workers are referred to workers compensation attorneys, because generally on-the-job accidents that do not involve third parties are handled exclusively in the workers compensation system. There are limited exceptions that allow an injured worker to sue their own direct employer: generally, where the employer failed to obtain workers comp insurance, or used a machine that was “red tagged” out of service, or intentionally hurt the worker.
Workplace Injury Investigation
Initial investigations should begin as soon as possible after an injury occurs, beginning when the injured worker is still in the hospital. Looking into the cause of an injury immediately helps to ensure that important evidence isn’t lost or destroyed. The liable party may or may not be obvious. In some cases, investigation shows that a third party have played a role in the injury and may be held liable. The attorneys at The Corson & Johnson Law Firm have experience prosecuting third party liability cases in the civil justice system, including those under Oregon’s unique Employer Liability Law.
When injured workers file lawsuits, they pressure workplaces everywhere to abide by health and safety standards. By holding these companies accountable, our attorneys are helping to lower the workplace injury rate and save lives.
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