Broken Bones

Find Out How Much You Can Recover from an Experienced Fort Lauderdale Broken Bone Lawyer

Suffering a broken bone on the job can lead to expensive medical bills, time missed from work, pain and suffering, and other losses. While dealing with a broken bone can be stressful, it is important to know that financial compensation is available to injured workers in many cases. If you need help dealing with the effects of a bone fracture, you do not have to handle your situation on your own. You can hire an experienced Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer to represent you at no out-of-pocket cost.

We Help Workers and Their Families Recover Just Compensation for Broken Bones

At The Gallagher Law Group, P.A., we focus our practice on helping individuals and families recover from job-related injuries. This includes seeking workers’ compensation benefits and other financial compensation for broken bones. Even though workers’ compensation is a “no fault” system in Florida, recovering benefits isn’t easy, and in many cases they will only cover a fraction of the costs of a broken bone.

When you schedule a free consultation, a Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer at our firm will conduct a thorough assessment of your legal rights. If you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, we will take the steps necessary to initiate your claim immediately. If you are entitled to compensation outside of workers’ comp, we will work diligently to gather the evidence required to seek the full compensation you deserve.

Understanding the Costs of Broken Bones

For many people, the cost of treatment for a broken bone comes as a shock. Even if you have health insurance, you could still end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket. If you don’t have health insurance, a broken bone that requires surgery could easily cost you $20,000 to $30,000—or more.

But, the costs of treatment are just a fraction of the total costs most people will incur as the result of a broken bone. Many people will be forced to miss weeks or months from work, and some will never be able to return to their old jobs. As a result, they can struggle to pay their bills, and their financial stress can impact their everyday lives. Add in the pain, suffering and other non-financial impacts of suffering a broken bone, and an accident at work can quickly turn into a life-altering experience.

Understanding Your Legal Rights After a Bone Fracture On the Job

Fortunately, individuals who suffer broken bones at work in South Florida are entitled to financial compensation in many cases. If you have suffered a bone fracture on the job, it is extremely important to make sure you have a clear understanding of your legal rights. For example, depending on the nature of your accident and who (or what company) was involved, a Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer may be able to help you file claims for:

1. Workers’ Compensation Benefits

As noted above, workers’ compensation is a “no fault” system in Florida. This means that eligible employees can file claims for benefits regardless of how they get injured—with just a few rare exceptions. Workers’ compensation covers the costs of treating a broken bone, and it also provides partial wage replacement for employees who miss more than seven days of work.

But, while employers and their insurance companies are supposed to pay regardless of fault, they frequently dispute employees’ claims for benefits. As a result, when seeking benefits through workers’ compensation, it is best to have an experienced Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer on your side.

2. Personal Injury, Premises Liability or Product Liability Compensation

While employers that comply with Florida’s workers’ compensation law are immune from employee personal injury lawsuits in most cases, injured employees can sue employers that don’t provide coverage. Independent contractors can typically sue as well. Additionally, in many cases, injured workers will have third party claims against contractors, subcontractors, property owners, product manufacturers and other companies that are responsible for their broken bones.

If you have a personal injury, premises liability or product liability claim outside of workers’ comp, a Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer at The Gallagher Law Group, P.A. can seek full compensation for all of your injury-related losses. This includes not only your medical expenses and full wage replacement, but pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement, and other losses as well.

3. Social Security Disability (SSD) Benefits

Regardless of whether you have a workers’ compensation claim, a personal injury claim or both, you may also qualify to receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Workers who have earned enough “credits” through their employment can file for Social Security disability (SSD) benefits when their injuries prevent them from maintaining their employment.

When filing for SSD benefits, it is best to work with an experienced Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer. The application process is difficult to navigate, and even simple mistakes can lead to significant delays or reductions in benefits. We regularly handle SSD applications on behalf of our clients, and we can use our experience to seek the full SSD benefits to which you are legally entitled.

Understanding How to Protect Your Legal Rights After Suffering a Broken Bone

After suffering a broken bone at work, it is important to be proactive about protecting your legal rights. Deadlines apply (except when filing for SSD), and you can lose your eligibility if you don’t file your claim in time. With this in mind, if you need to seek financial compensation for a broken bone you suffered in a work-related accident, you should:

1. Protect Your Workers’ Compensation Eligibility

To protect your workers’ compensation eligibility, you should report your broken bone to your employer as soon as possible. When you report your injury, your employer should tell you where you can go for treatment. While you can seek emergency treatment from an unapproved doctor (i.e., a doctor in the emergency room) if necessary, you will need to see an approved doctor for the remainder of your treatment in most cases.

Reporting your broken bone is not the same as filing a workers’ compensation claim. Rather, reporting your injury simply preserves your right to file a claim. You should promptly file your workers’ compensation claim as well; and, to avoid unnecessary issues, it is best to engage a Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer to file your claim for you. At The Gallagher Law Group, P.A., we regularly file workers’ compensation claims on behalf of our clients.

2. Protect Your Ability to Seek Maximum Compensation

With all types of claims, it is up to you to make sure you recover the full compensation you deserve. To protect your ability to seek maximum compensation, you should take steps including:

Following through with your medical care
Making sure you don’t return to work too soon
Making sure you don’t inadvertently settle your claim
Documenting the financial and non-financial costs of your injury
Hiring an experienced Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer to represent you

These are just examples. When you hire a lawyer at The Gallagher Law Group, P.A. to represent you, your lawyer will walk you through all of the steps you need to take to maximize your recovery. Your lawyer will take many of the most important steps on your behalf as well, and your lawyer will be able to answer any and all questions you have about the process.

3. Protect Yourself from Insurance Defense Tactics and Bad Faith

Along with taking the steps necessary to protect your legal rights, you also need to avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your claim (or claims). This includes falling for the insurance companies’ defense tactics. Unfortunately, bad-faith insurance practices are common with workers’ compensation and personal injury claims, and if you aren’t careful, you could end up letting the insurance companies get away with paying less than you deserve.

How can you protect yourself against insurance companies? Along with hiring a lawyer to represent you, you can make sure you avoid mistakes such as giving a recorded statement or signing any documents you do not fully understand. When you need to recover financial compensation for a broken bone, you should make informed decisions based on your lawyer’s advice, and you should be wary of any requests you receive from the insurance companies. While employees who file for workers’ compensation have certain obligations, insurance companies frequently overreach in hopes of getting injured workers to waive their legal rights.

Request a Free Consultation with a Fort Lauderdale Broken Bone Lawyer 24/7

If you have suffered a broken bone at work in South Florida, we strongly encourage you to speak with one of our lawyers before you do anything that could jeopardize your legal rights. You can schedule a free, no-obligation consultation 24/7. To speak with a Fort Lauderdale broken bone lawyer at The Gallagher Law Firm, P.A. about your situation in confidence, please call 954-530-7314 or tell us how we can reach you online now.