Florida Workplace Injury Attorney

Were you injured while working or completing a job-related duty? You might be able to get workers’ compensation to help you recover. But, if you are like countless Americans who don’t get workers’ compensation due to their employment status, then you might need to file a work injury claim instead.

Zimmerman & Frachtman, P.A. represents injured workers throughout Florida and from all industries. We can help you explore your options to seek compensation through a workplace injury claim, which can be filed if you don’t have workers’ compensation or if your employer’s egregious negligence or intentional wrongdoing caused your injury. For more information about our options, please dial (954) 504-6577 or contact us online.

Most Common Workplace Injuries

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency tasked with overseeing workplace safety and enforcing regulations across the country. It keeps track of all types of workplace accidents and injuries, categorized by type and date.

According to OSHA, the four most common and extremely dangerous workplace accidents and injuries are:

• Falls: Worker falls are a serious hazard in most industries. From falling off scaffolding on a construction site to slipping and falling on a wet floor in a retail store, a worker fall can cause severe injury.
• Struck-by objects: Falling objects can cause just as much or more harm than when a worker falls from a height. Struck-by object incidents are particularly problematic in workplaces with storage or construction happening overhead.
• Caught-in/between accidents: When a worker is caught inside or in between two pieces of heavy machinery – like an industrial machine or a vehicle – the result can be catastrophic in an instant.
• Electrocutions: Working around an electrical source is extremely dangerous. Only highly trained and certified electricians should be permitted to work with electrical sources, or else the risk of electrocution dramatically increases.

Of course, not all workplace injuries are so violent and severe. Many people who are hurt at work suffer serious but not necessarily life-threateningly. For example, a fall off a ladder might not be fatal, but it can still cause a permanent back injury that causes debilitation and chronic pain.

Main Causes of Workplace Accidents

If workplace accidents are so varied, what is the cause behind most of them? Sometimes, basic human error causes a worker to inadvertently hurt themselves or another person. When this happens, workers’ compensation should be used if it is available.

When an employer’s egregious negligence causes a workplace injury, though, the legal situation can change. Rather than only using workers’ compensation to make a recovery, the injured worker might be able to also use a workplace accident claim or lawsuit. Unlike workers’ compensation, a workplace accident claim requires the claimant to prove that the employer or a third party did something negligent to cause the accident.

Types of negligence that might be cited in a workplace accident claim include:

• No or inadequate safety training is provided to workers.
• Employer encourages workers to violate safety protocols.
• Criminal behaviors among employees are not prevented.
• Hazardous materials are stored in an unsafe manner.

What to Do After a Workplace Accident

After being in a workplace accident that left you injured, it is important to record as much information as you can about it. Take photographs of the scene if you can. Speak with your coworkers who might have witnessed it, too. Although liability is secondary in workers’ compensation claims, it is important in workplace accident claims that go to civil court as any other personal injury claim does, so you will want useful evidence.

You should also report your workplace accident to your employer as soon as possible. If you wait too long to notify your employer about the accident, then it will be easier for them to deny that it ever happened in the first place. When informing your employer about the accident, be sure to fill out an official accident report.

Why Should You Hire a Workplace Accident Lawyer?

Navigating the circumstances of a workplace accident can be difficult. Introducing legal complications because you need to file an injury claim to pursue full compensation will make it even more of a challenge. Give yourself the assistance you need to comfortably proceed by hiring the Florida work injury lawyers of our firm. We can make sense of your case, no matter how complex it might seem at first!

We’re proud allies to injured workers everywhere. Schedule a free consultation with us today.