Law

Workers’ Compensation Insurance Companies will sometimes take advantage of the injured worker.

They have an advantage because they know the law and the rules and many injured workers do not.

For example, they may tell you that they have paid your medical bills and time off work and that is all you get.

Or they may tell you that your injury does not qualify for work comp.

Or that the law has changed and your injury is not serious enough for a settlement.

Or that the law has changed and you only are entitled to $500 or $1000.

These statements are usually not true.

Under Illinois law if you are injured at work you are entitled to payment of your medical bills, payment for your time off work, and payment for your injury.

Most injuries that are connected to the job will result in the payment of workers’ compensation benefits.

Almost all work comp injuries are serious enough to qualify for a settlement.

It is true that the value of Workers’ Compensation injuries have gone down, but not drastically.

If your Work Comp insurance company tells you anything like this, then you should contact an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer immediately.

You have nothing to lose by consulting a work comp attorney. You should have the same information as the work comp insurance company. It just may result in the payment of unpaid medical bills or provide you with extra money.

Questions about your work injury? Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

It is not getting any easier for injured workers in Illinois. Especially for repetitive trauma victims.

Repetitive trauma means repeated activities that injure the body to the point that it breaks down.

Carpal tunnel usually fits in this category because it is typically caused or aggravated by acts that happen over a long period of time.

The problem with these kind of Workers’ Compensation cases is that many Illinois arbitrators are becoming more conservative, and there seems to be a bias against carpal tunnel cases. Maybe because of the controversy related to a large number of state employees filing these kind of cases.

It is difficult to pinpoint the start of carpal tunnel problems. Unlike falling and breaking your leg at work, there is no bright line accident with carpal tunnel.

The best case scenario for a carpal tunnel case is going to the doctor and telling the doctor about your numbness and tingling in the hands and how it is getting worse with typing at work, or using vibratory tools, or cutting metal.

If you do not tell your doctor about how your problems seem to be related to work, then you may lose your work comp case.

The other problem is that insurance companies can always find a doctor who will testify that your weight, diabetes, or smoking is the cause of your problems. Anything but your work is the cause of the carpal tunnel.

The most important thing that may tip the case in your favor is letting your doctor and your work know right away that your work activities are causing your hands to hurt and become numb.

Questions about your Work injury case? Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.