Can I Sue for a Work Injury?

After suffering an injury at work, the impact can be devastating. Between medical bills, lost income, and your unaccounted-for emotional damages, the money you get from workers compensation may just not be enough.

Wondering whether you can sue for your work injury? Read on to learn about the difference between workers compensation and third-party lawsuits for a work injury.

How to Sue for a Work Injury

Every year, thousands of North Carolina workers are injured in on-the-job accidents or suffer injuries from a work-related function.

Work injuries happen so often that almost all employers in the state are required to carry workers compensation insurance, which can be used by injured employees to access financial compensation for their lost wages, medical damages, and temporary or permanent disability payments.

Receiving workers compensation benefits isn’t always straightforward, but one crucial difference between the workers comp system and a traditional personal injury claim is that the former aren’t based on negligence.

Although it’s true that workers compensation protects injured workers, the system also protects employers. By receiving the benefits of a workers comp claim, you prevent yourself from directly suing your employer for other damages related to your injuries.

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options. There might be other culpable parties, such as co-workers, contractors, or equipment manufacturers, that directly or indirectly caused your injuries.

In these instances, filing a third-party claim can help you recover additional compensation for your work injury.

What Damages Can I Receive from a Work Injury Lawsuit?

When you file a third-party claim against other parties involved in your work injury, you can earn other types of damages that may be unavailable in a workers comp claim.

Non-economic damages, for example, aren’t included in workers compensation payments. There are numerous examples of these, but some of the more common include:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Disfigurement

These are just some of the examples of non-economic damages that you can receive in addition to payment for things like your explicit financial losses from the injury.

Non-economic damages are highly subjective in nature. It can be difficult to know if a settlement offer accurately reflects the amount of compensation you could receive—which is just one of the reasons hiring a personal injury attorney can help you increase the value of your total compensation.

Contact a Work Injury Lawyer Today

Have you been injured in a work accident? Don’t be hemmed in by the restrictions of the workers compensation system—let a work injury lawyer from The Nye Law Group help you discover the true value of your personal injury-related losses.

Your free consultation is waiting—just give us a call at 704-285-6319 or fill out the form below to get started.