Maryland Warehouse Employee Injury Lawyer
Warehouse workers have always been a special breed. These jobs require mental and physical endurance that few people possess. These qualities are more important than ever. Many warehouses now double as fulfillment centers, which means speed is at a premium. This combination greatly increases the risk of serious injury or occupational disease, and these risks were already quite high among warehouse workers.
The diligent Maryland warehouse employee injury lawyers at Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman are a special breed as well. We always pay close attention to the details of a workers’ compensation claim. This attention helps us build solid cases which convince hearing officers to award maximum compensation to victims. This compensation helps them get back to work quickly. That’s an outcome which benefits everyone.
Types of Injuries
Occupational diseases, mostly repetitive stress injuries, are a serious problem among warehouse workers. These individuals usually spend most of their workdays doing things like bending, kneeling, reaching, stooping. Over time, these activities wear out ankles, elbows, knees, and other joints. People with pre-existing conditions are especially vulnerable to these conditions.
Legally, such claims are rather complex. A Maryland workers’ compensation attorney must often trace the repetitive stress injury back to the moment it happened. Additionally, by the time these victims visit doctors, the claim filing deadline has probably passed. Only an experienced lawyer knows how to work through these issues.
Hearing loss is also frequently a problem. Most warehouses are not noisy enough to prompt management to provide hearing protection or carefully explain why it’s necessary. But warehouses are noisy enough to cause hearing damage over time.
Workers’ compensation benefits are also available to victims of falls and other trauma injuries. These injuries often cause serious head wounds and other problems which many company doctors misdiagnose. Fortunately, Maryland job injury victims may choose their own physicians, at least in most cases. So, these individuals get the treatment they need when they need it.
Compensation Available
Workers’ compensation provides no-fault insurance benefits which replace lost wages and pay medical bills.
Generally, workers’ compensation pays two-thirds of the average weekly wage until the victim is able to return to work. Calculating the AWW is sometimes tricky, which is why attorney diligence is so important.
The AWW accounts for past and future wages. So, if the victim recently changed jobs or got a promotion, past wages do not accurately reflect lost wages. Additionally, many injured workers miss performance bonuses, overtime opportunities, and/or holiday hours.
As for medical bills, workers’ compensation pays all reasonably necessary expenses. That includes direct medical expenses, like hospital bills, and indirect expenses, such as transportation costs.
Frequently, the insurance company drags its feet and does not quickly pay these costs. This refusal puts many victims in a difficult financial position. To make things easier, our Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers typically send letters of protection to medical providers. These letters guarantee payment when the case is resolved. So, the provider charges nothing upfront.
Contact a Hard-Working Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Injured warehouse workers could be entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in Maryland, contact The Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
