Georgia residents lead busy, productive lives, but when a workplace injury interferes with the ability to provide for yourself or your family, it can leave you facing pain, anxiety, and an uncertain future. Fortunately, there are options available for your financial recovery, so you have time to focus on your physical one. A Georgia work injury lawyer examines all legal options open to you to cover your medical expenses and lost income.
Call Marc Brown Law Firm to speak with a Georgia personal injury attorney about the unique details of your case.
Why Choose Us as Your Georgia Work Injury Law Firm?
Marc Brown Law Firm has years of experience navigating workplace injury claims with a history of results and satisfied clients. With Marc Brown Law Firm on your side, you have the following in your Georgia workplace injury claim:
- A personalized strategy based on the unique circumstances of your accident, workplace, injuries, and financial losses
- Maximizing your compensation is always our team’s highest priority
- Access to key resources and medical experts to provide supporting evidence in your claim
- A law firm with the compassionate attention of a hometown law office, with the resources of a large city law firm
We offer a free case consultation to Georgia workplace injury victims.
Common Types of Georgia Work Injuries
Some industries, such as construction, logging, agriculture, and manufacturing, carry greater risks and inherent dangers than the average; however, a workplace injury can occur even in office settings. Common types of injuries seen in Georgia workplace injury claims include the following:
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries (sprains, tendon injuries, and torn ligaments) in the knee, shoulder, wrist, elbow, or ankle
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Bone fractures
- Burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Crush injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Wrongful death
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry. Slip-and-fall injuries are the most common injuries in workplace injury claims nationwide, including in Georgia.
Who Is Covered Under Workers’ Compensation In Georgia?
Georgia law requires all employers with three or more employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance not only protects the employer against liability for workplace injuries, but it also provides a critical safety net for workers who suffer on-the-job injuries in Georgia. Workers’ comp insurance covers:
- Full-time employees
- Part-time employees
- Seasonal workers
Georgia workers’ compensation insurance does not cover independent contractors, farm laborers, railroad employees, or domestic servants working inside private homes.
Steps to Take After a Work Injury In Georgia
Some employees are unconscious or incapacitated after a severe injury at work and must depend completely on others until they regain their cognitive ability and recover from the initial trauma. However, if you or an uninjured coworker can safely use a cell phone, you can begin protecting yourself physically and financially immediately after the injury by doing the following:
- First, call 911 if you need an ambulance, or arrange transportation to a hospital
- Use your phone’s camera to snap photos of the injury scene, including anything relevant to the cause of the injury, such as broken equipment, a fallen scaffolding, or a wet floor
- Photograph any visible injuries
- Note the names and contact information of any coworkers or others who were eyewitnesses to the injury
- Ask a manager or supervisor to fill out an accident or incident report
- Go directly to the hospital from the worksite where the injury occurred
At the hospital, ask for a detailed medical report of your injury, the doctor’s treatment recommendations, and your prognosis. Then, seek any additional medical treatment from your employer’s list of approved providers for workers’ compensation. Carefully follow your doctor’s instructions, including attending every appointment and filling all prescriptions.
It’s crucial to notify your employer of the injury in writing within 30 days of the injury. Otherwise, you won’t be eligible for Georgia workers’ compensation benefits.
Calculating Workers’ Compensation Benefits In Georgia
Workers’ compensation benefits are not the same for every injured employee in Georgia. Instead, the amount of a settlement depends on your average weekly wages. Georgia workers’ compensation pays about two-thirds of an employee’s average weekly wages, or 66.67%. This amount is based on the average wages over the employee’s most recent 13 weeks of earnings. Depending on the extent of the disability and whether it’s temporary or permanent, workers’ compensation pays two-thirds of an injury victim’s entire wage, or two-thirds of the difference between their normal wages and their light-duty pay. Georgia’s maximum allowable weekly wage replacement is $800.
Workers’ compensation also covers medical expenses and provides disability payments and compensation to family members after a workplace fatality.
How a Georgia Work Injury Lawyer Can Help
Workers’ compensation is a crucial safeguard for injured workers in Georgia, but it isn’t always the only way to recover compensation. Depending on the circumstances of your injury, a Georgia work injury attorney can pursue additional options to maximize your recovery. While workers’ compensation insurance protects employers from lawsuits, it does not prevent personal injury claims against liable non-employers, such as negligent contractors, subcontractors, property owners, or drivers.
A personal injury claim filed against a third party may proceed in addition to a workers’ compensation claim. Personal injury claims also allow injury victims to recover non-economic damages not available under workers’ compensation, such as compensation for pain and suffering.
Your attorney from Marc Brown Law Firm investigates all aspects of your injury, documents evidence, carefully calculates damages, and assists in filing a workers’ compensation claim and a lawsuit against a negligent third-party if this option is available in your case.
Reach Out to the Georgia Workplace Injury Lawyers at Marc Brown Law Firm
Suffering an injury that prevents a return to work in your previous capacity, either temporarily or permanently, can feel like the rug was pulled out from under your life. Fortunately, you don’t have to face it alone. Instead, call or contact Marc Brown Law Firm online for a tireless ally and a personalized strategy to protect your best interests.