Few things are more painful than an electrical burn. While most burns affect the exterior layer of skin, electrical burns burn from the inside out. This results in serious damage to the flesh, muscle tissue, ligaments, and bones, that may not even be visible externally. The consequences of these injuries can be severe and have debilitating and even permanent effects. This makes employees’ ability to obtain workers’ compensation for this kind of injury critical. Construction, cable, and electrical workers are all at an increased risk for suffering electrical burns. It’s important to understand your workers’ compensation benefits and how to access them in the instance that you suffer an electrical burn.
Workers’ Compensation for Electrical Burns
The biggest factor when determining eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits is employment classification. If you are an employee, you qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits include medical care and treatment, as well as full or partial wage replacement if you are unable to work due to your injury. In order to receive workers’ compensation coverage, your injury must have occurred in the course of your employment and within the scope of your employment. This covers most things. However, if you were drunk, fighting, or acting recklessly in a way that was unrelated to your job duties, you may not qualify for coverage. Even if your claim is valid and you are entitled to coverage, it is not uncommon to receive a denial when you first file your claim. Workers’ compensation insurance companies are companies, after all, so their goal is to pay out as little as possible. This often means denying claims in hopes that people will give up. A workers’ compensation attorney can help level the playing field and ensure that you get the coverage that you are entitled to.
Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim for Electrical Burns
If you suffer an electrical burn at work, the first step is to get medical attention. Even if you cannot see extensive evidence of burns externally, that does not mean that the injury is not far more serious internally, so it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible. You must also report the injury to your supervisor or employer. This is necessary in order to initiate your workers’ compensation claim. If you tell them about your injury verbally, make sure to follow up with an email or text message about it so that you have it in writing in case you later have to prove that you notified them of the accident. You only have a limited window of time to report a workplace injury before you lose the ability to move forward with a claim.
Contact the O’Donnell Law Offices
If you have suffered a serious injury as the result of a workplace accident and are struggling to get the benefits that you deserve, our lawyers want to help. Schedule a free initial consultation with the personal injury attorneys at the O’Donnell Law Offices serving clients in Kingston, Wilkes Barre, Hazleton and Pittston at 570-821-5717 or online today. There is no fee or costs until we win your case.
Resource:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519514/