Every year, thousands of workers suffer fatal injuries while on the job. Some of those incidents involve transportation accidents, machinery accidents, slip and falls. Thankfully there has been a decline in workplace injuries over the years due to new safety standards and improvements. However, when a workplace injury occurs, you should consult with a workplace injury attorney as soon as possible to ensure that your rights are protected from the start of your injury.

The fact that more than 2.8 million people are left with injuries after being harmed on the job is alarming. Although there have been great strides to protect workers across the country, and here in Texas, we continue to see many workers forced out of work due to their injuries.

In many instances, Texas workers are left to deal with overwhelming pain and suffering from their workplace injury. Being forced out of work to focus on your recovery drastically limits the financial resources that victims have to get the medical treatment they need and to pay their living expenses. For this reason, it is crucial that accident victims contact a workplace injury attorney in Abilene as soon as possible to explore all of the legal options available to them.

At Low Law Firm, we take an aggressive approach to ensure our clients are able to get the justice that they deserve after being injured on the job. We provide aggressive legal representation to ensure that victims injured in a Texas workplace accident are in the best position possible to recover the most compensation available to them under the law.

Our attorneys are available to meet with injured workers at any time of the day or night to discuss the circumstances surrounding their accidents and to determine the best legal options available. We stop at nothing to ensure our clients are able to recover. Contact Low Law Firm today to schedule a free case evaluation to see how our team can help you.

Being Injured on the Job

OSHA statistics tell us that 1% of the workforce experiences a workplace injury bad enough they need to take time off from work to recuperate each year. The more physically demanding the job is, the more the workplace injury rates go up. Truck drivers, police officers, freight movers, construction employees all have higher rates of workplace injury.

• Injuries caused by moving heavy materials, lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Tripping over ground hazards.
• Falling due to improper guardrails.
• Being struck by falling objects.
• Cave ins.
• Electrocutions due to worn electrical wires
• Inhaling of harmful toxins in the air.
• Improperly maintained equipment
• Locked exits or blocked exits that trap workers in dangerous environments
• Inadequate safety equipment and gear
• OSHA violations

If you have experienced a workplace injury, you need to report the injury to your employer as soon as possible.

Type of Injuries from Workplace Accidents

Workplace injuries can take many forms. Many injuries leave victims with overwhelming pain and suffering. In numerous instances, victims are unable to return to work and have to go to therapy and undergo various forms of medical treatment for months. Some of the most common workplace injuries victims sustain here in Texas include:

• Hearing loss or hearing damages
• Tendonitis
• Toxic chemical exposure conditions like Black Lung and mesothelioma
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Construction accidents
• Heat and burn injuries
• Chemical exposure injuries
• Muscular injuries
• Broken bones
• Torn ligaments
• Torn rotator cuffs
• Herniated disks
• Internal organ damages
• Traumatic head injuries
• Limb amputations
• Back Injury
• And more

When victims are injured on the job, they may be entitled to compensation and other benefits that help them move forward as they recover. Although employers are not required to maintain workers’ compensation policies, they often obtain this coverage for their workers to avoid liability. Working with a skilled workplace injury attorney in Abilene will ensure you are in the best position possible to protect your legal rights and get the justice you deserve for your Texas workplace injury.

Most Dangerous Jobs in America for Workers

The Department of Labor Statistics compiles reports annually that detail where most workplace accidents occur. You may be surprised to learn what some of the most dangerous types of jobs for employment are. Transportation jobs account for roughly 40% of all workplace fatalities each year. The top ten most dangerous jobs in our country include:

• Loggers: This line of employment accounts for 128 deaths per 100,000 workers
• Fishermen: This job accounts for 117 deaths per 100,000 workers in America each year
• Pilots & Flight Engineers: 4 deaths per every 100,000 workers in the country annually
• Roofers: 5 deaths for every 100,000 workers in the country
• Structural Iron & Steel Workers: This line of employment accounts for 37 deaths per 100,000 people
• Trash & Recyclable Materials Collectors: These workers account for 27.1 lives lost per 100,000 workers
• Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairmen: This line of employment accounts for 23 deaths per 100,000 workers each year
• Drivers (Including traveling sales reps): This job accounts for 22.1 deaths per 100,000 workers
• Farmers, Ranchers, Agricultural Managers: This job sees 21.3 deaths per 100,000 workers annually
• Construction Laborers: This line of employment sees 9.5 deaths per 100,000 workers each year

The unpredictable circumstances of these jobs mean workers are more likely to be exposed to dangerous environments that can be life-threatening. OSHA implements work requirements that are designed to help combat the potential problems workers may see. However, many lines of employment fail to fully adhere to guidelines and implement adequate safety protocols. As a result, we continue to see numerous workers injured or killed while on the job.

It is crucial that victims and their families are aware of legal options available to them after suffering an injury on the job in Texas. Working with Abilene personal injury attorneys at Low Law Firm will ensure you are in the best position possible to move forward after being harmed on the job. Our team will review the circumstances surrounding your accident to help you determine if a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury lawsuit is best for your case.

Workers’ Compensation in Texas

In Texas, businesses are not required to offer workers’ compensation coverage for employees. It is important to know if this type of coverage is available and what benefits they provide to you should you be injured on the job. Under workers’ compensation laws in Texas, the injuries sustained by employees during job-related duties are generally covered. The location in which an injury occurred is typically irrelevant so long as the worker was injured while performing duties of their job.

For example, if a construction worker is injured while delivering materials to a job site as a result of a motor vehicle accident, they are still covered under workers’ compensation insurance policies. It is important to understand that workers’ compensation laws do not cover injuries or illnesses that occur outside of the scope of a worker’s employment, situations where illegal or intentionally dangerous behaviors occurred, and incidents that occur when employees are engaged in off-duty activities. Contact our construction accident attorney today if you were injured in a serious Texas construction accident today to see how the Low Law Firm can help you.

When injuries occur, a worker has up to 30 days from the date of the accident to report it to their employer. It is generally best to report the incident as early as possible. Doing so will enable you to get care and treatment for your injuries or illnesses and receive coverage from the workers’ compensation policy rather than forcing you to spend tens of thousands of dollars on medical treatment you need. Injured workers who qualify for coverage under workers’ compensation laws generally receive the following benefits:

• Income while forced off work due to injuries or illnesses
  • Temporary income benefits (TIBs) – equal to up to 70% of your wages while off work
  • Impairment income benefits (IIBs) – depending on the level of impairment you are rated at
  • Supplemental income benefits (SIBs) – available on a monthly basis from insurance carriers after impairment income benefits have ended
  • Lifetime income benefits (LIBs) – available for injured workers who are left permanently disabled in some way as a result of their workplace accident
• Medical benefits to cover all costs related to workplace injuries or illnesses
• Burial benefits when employees lose their lives as a result of their injuries or illnesses on the job
• Death benefits for families to replace some of the income lost from the death of the employee

Working with a reputable workplace injury attorney in Abilene will ensure the most compensation for your injuries and losses after being harmed or losing a loved one in a workplace accident.

The next step is to talk to a workplace injury attorney

Does your employer have worker’s comp insurance? Employers in Texas are not required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Those employers who don’t carry worker’s compensation insurance are known as ‘nonsubscribers.’

Employers who don’t carry workers comp open themselves to a potential personal injury lawsuit. In situations where an employer offers workers’ comp insurance, other parties may be responsible for a worker’s injury. A workplace injury attorney can help you navigate through this process and find your best options.

Some employers do not provide their employees with a safe work environment. They do not provide their staff with the proper training they need. Nor do they provide the appropriate personal protective equipment. All of these factors can lead to dangerous workplace and accidents. When a workplace injury occurs, an injured employee needs a workplace attorney with the right experience.

Benefits of Working with an Attorney after being injured on the Job

We at Low Law Firm have extensive experience helping accident victims in Abilene and throughout Taylor County get the justice they deserve after being injured on the job. Although workers are not required to hire an attorney, doing so can provide injured workers with a plethora of incomparable benefits moving forward. Some of the ways our workplace accident attorneys in Abilene, TX help injured workers include:

• Providing a better understanding of the legal system for our injured clients about the laws surrounding their cases
• Knowing how to handle workplace accident cases in Texas
• Bringing forth experience to help with your case
• Making sure the legal rights and best interests of our clients are protected
• Investigating the accident and identifying all liable parties
• Dedicating time and attention to related matters to help you prevail
• Walking out clients through the legal process so they better understand what to expect moving forward
• Handing cases involving employers as well as third-party lawsuits

Our attorneys at Low Law Firm strive to ensure our clients are in the best position possible moving forward after being harmed.

Contact Low Law Firm Today

Every day, millions of people in and around Texas head out to their place of employment to earn a living. Although we like to think that our employer takes action to ensure we have a safe and reliable workplace to perform the duties of our job, this is not always true. In fact, there are numerous instances where workers are forced to use defective tools and equipment, work in unsafe conditions, and do not receive adequate training to perform the duties of their job.

As a result, many people sustain injuries in work-related accidents. Thousands of victims involved in accidents are left with injuries that leave them permanently impaired and unable to work indefinitely. If this sounds like your experience after being injured at another person’s home or business, you may want to consider reaching out to a reputable Abilene workplace injury lawyer at your earliest convenience.

Our Abilene workplace injury attorney Tara Gilmore-Low at Low Law Firm is committed to helping victims by providing effective and aggressive legal representation. We firmly believe that injured workers deserve to maximize their recoveries after being harmed due to unsafe work conditions, inadequate training, and various other circumstances.

Although no amount of money can ever take away the pain and suffering you are experiencing, it can help you alleviate medical costs, compensate you for lost wages, and help you move forward and focus on getting better. If you’ve been injured in an accident, and you believe negligence played a role, contact our personal injury attorneys in Abilene as soon as possible. By contacting Low Law Firm at (325) 455-1889, we can set up a free case evaluation to explore the circumstances surrounding your accident and get you the justice you deserve.