Marc Whitehead & Associates

Extreme Work Injuries? Can You Obtain Substantial Compensation? If So, What Should You Do?

Texas work injuries run the gamut:

• Subtle and chronic -- e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome you develop after working for years on Houston construction sites;
   
• Acute and instantly life changing -- e.g. a refinery accident leaves you with massive second and third degree burns as well as a serious traumatic brain injury.
   
• Everything in between

Although injured workers can seek money to pay for lost wages, surgeries, medical bills, prescriptions, job retraining and more through the Texas worker’s compensation system, sometimes you may need to take more extreme and decisive action when you have work injuries.

Examples of Work Injuries: Hurt Construction and Refinery Workers

If you or a family member got hurt working on a construction site or working at a refinery, your employer may not be a subscriber to the Texas workers' compensation system. What do you do then? For instance:

• An inhalation injury at a refinery left you spitting blood and unable to take deep breaths for a week;
   
• You fell off an unsecured platform at a job site and cracked your coccyx and several vertebrae;
   
• You were burned at a site in a careless welding accident.

At Marc Whitehead & Associates, we focus on helping injured workers bring claims against third parties as well as against "non subscribers" to workers' comp as a result of work injuries.

The Texas Workers’ Compensation System

Under ordinary circumstances, hurt workers can take advantage of the Texas workers’ compensation system to collect benefits. For instance:

• You tore a ligament in your back while working at a refinery;
   
• You developed excruciating carpal tunnel syndrome while serving as an assistant at a Houston Bank;
   
• You suffered a lung inhalation injury while inspecting a chemical, oil or gas facility.

In any of the above work injuries cases, you might be able to leverage workers’ compensation to receive money for your medical bills, surgeries, medications, time off of work, lost wages, and other expenses.

Workers’ comp may even apply if you were injured off site. For instance, say you were driving to a conference or delivering goods to a client, and you got into a car accident that led to serious injuries. Workers’ comp might cover you, even though you weren’t physically “at work.”

More Complex Texas Work Injuries: What Remedies May Be Available

Example # 1: Injury at an Oil and Gas Refinery

In our first hypothetical, let’s take a look at what might happen to a worker who suffers lacerations, chemical exposure, and inhalation injuries when an improperly maintained piece of equipment blows up on his shift. In ordinary situations, the worker might go through standard workers’ compensation channels to compensate him for work injuries. But let’s say that his boss had done an inspection the week before the accident, saw but ignored warning signs of disaster, and sent you to your shift anyway. Due to his extreme negligence and disregard for your safety, you may be able to launch a lawsuit against your employer for more damages then you might be able to collect through standard workers’ comp channels.

Example #2: Chronic Exposure to Toxins at a Construction Site Leads to Cancer

In our second work injuries theoretical example, let’s consider the case of a woman who works for 30 years doing Houston construction jobs. She and several former co-workers develop a normally rare type of lung cancer. An investigation reveals extremely high levels of asbestos and other pollutants at one of their old job sites. In this case, the plaintiffs might consider banding together to launch a class action suit or adopt other aggressive strategies for ample compensation.

Each Workplace Injury Requires Its Own Solution

Depending on the extent of the injuries that you suffered, your ability to recover, your employer’s culpability in the accident or injury (or lack thereof), the quality of the medical help you received, and the actions that you and your employer have taken since the injury, you may have literally dozens of strategic options.

How can you simplify what to do, reduce the amount of stress you feel about what’s happened, and ensure that you consistently take smart, accurate, and efficient steps towards getting compensation; holding neglectful, careless, or even malevolent bosses accountable to the law; and moving forward with your life?

You can learn more about types of injuries at work by going to our more detailed pages on asbestos, maritime accidents, railroad accidents, silicosis, welding rod, etc. now.

For a free legal case evaluation about your work injuries, connect with Houston, TX personal injury lawyer, Marc Whitehead, to discuss your possible claim. Learn more about your rights at www.personal-injurylawyer.com, or call the team at Marc Whitehead & Associates at 800-562-9830 now to make rapid progress towards achieving your goals.

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