Accidents happen at work every day. However, not everyone reports their accidents. Further, many people don’t seek the settlement that they are entitled to. According to the Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Website, there are over 22,000 cases across the state to date for 2020. This identifies that people are getting hurt.
If you’re involved in an accident at work, you have to ask yourself an important question: What is the average workers’ compensation settlement in Florida? This will vary based on the cause of the accident, the level of disability, and more.
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What is a Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Workers’ compensation allows workers to get the help that they need after being involved in an accident where the employer is at fault. It provides access to an array of benefits including:
- Medical treatment
- Wage replacement benefits
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Other benefits
Not all employers are quick to provide all of the benefits that are due. This is why it’s advantageous to contact a lawyer that specializes in workers’ compensation cases. At the Shiner Law Group, we have personal injury lawyers who can provide you with personal attention for your case.
How Do Workplace Accidents Happen?
The cause of the accident is going to help determine how much a compensation claim is worth. Accidents happen, though it will depend on various factors. Did an employer fail to provide PPE? Did an employer give insufficient training? Were there unsafe working conditions in place?
The most common causes for accidents include:
- Burn/scald/cold exposure
- Caught in or between objects
- Cut/puncture/scrape
- Fall or slip injury
- Struck or injured by equipment
- Motor vehicle injury
- Strain or sprain
Employees may suffer fractures, crushing injuries, dislocations, electric shock, hearing loss, and more.
When there is a greater level of injury, the settlements tend to be higher. Further, it all depends on how long the injury continues. When the injury is long-term, the settlements are higher because the employee now has to deal with this injury for a longer period of time – or potentially forever.
Within Palm County, the average settlement for all cases is $15,396 in Palm County. However, if there is an amputation involved, the average settlement jumps to $24,999. When there is a lesser injury, such as a burn, there may be no settlement at all. Does that mean that the burn wasn’t as severe as originally reported? Perhaps. Or, perhaps, the injured parties didn’t have a lawyer to fight for their rights.
Why Work With a Personal Injury Lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer is capable of helping you to learn more about what a settlement should contain. When you file an accident report with an employer, it doesn’t always move as fast as it should. Some employers may also not take the necessary actions to see to it that it becomes a workers’ compensation case.
Even once you have a workers’ compensation case, the insurance company is on the side of the employer. Their goal is to settle for as little as possible. The Department of Financial Services makes it possible to search by county and by nature of accident to see what the average settlement is. By having a personal injury lawyer involved throughout the process, it ensures that you have someone on your side. It allows you to get more within your settlement – and potentially even more than the average based on the injury.
A personal injury lawyer can answer questions. They can talk to you about what is going on and what to expect throughout the process. They’ll see to it that you’re getting the medical attention that you need. Once you’ve been released from the doctor, the lawyer will also help to determine if you can go back to your job or if you need to receive vocational rehabilitation. This is the area that many insurance companies miss – the rehabilitation allows you to be trained for another job. If you’re incapable of doing the job that you were doing prior to the accident, your employer is responsible for providing the training so that you can do a new job.
Ultimately, a personal injury lawyer has your best interests in mind. They’ll be the ones fighting to ensure that you get the most out of your workers’ compensation case.
How It’s Possible to Increase the Settlement
When there are injuries in the workplace, the priority is to help the employee. This includes ensuring that they get the medical care that they need and that they’re paid for any time lost from work. Settlements typically compensate for such things.
The average settlement can increase when it’s clear that the employee is getting everything that they are entitled to. This can include additional medical care, such as ongoing therapy. It can also include adjustments to their earnings. If they have to take a lesser job because of the injuries sustained, they should be compensated due to the earnings adjustment.
Additionally, there may be reasons for more money to be paid to the employee. For example, if an employee has an arm amputated after being crushed, they will no longer have use of one arm for the rest of their life. That involves an added settlement because of all that they have lost.
It’s all about looking at the individual aspects of a workers’ compensation case. While an insurance company may focus on the cheapest way to settle with an employee, a personal injury lawyer will look at the details more carefully. At the Shiner Law Group, we will work to ensure that your case in West Palm Beach is reviewed and personalized.
The Steps to Explore Your Workers’ Compensation Settlement
How you got injured and what injuries you sustained are unique. Therefore, the average workers’ compensation settlement in Florida does not apply to you. While averages are fine for simply knowing, it won’t have anything to do with your case. You may be higher or lower than the average because of what was involved with your injury, how fast you are able to recover, and much more.
There are a few things that you can do to move forward with a workers’ compensation settlement.
- Identify your injury to your employer. Follow the specific procedures to tell your employer that you have been injured.
- Seek medical assistance. Once you’ve told your employer that you’ve been hurt, follow their protocol in terms of getting medical attention. They may have a specific doctor for you to visit.
- Involve a personal injury lawyer immediately. The reason to get a lawyer involved is to ensure you have someone on your side. You should have a lawyer helping with the settlement components. Once you settle with the insurance company, there’s no way to go back and ask for more money.
- Follow the advice of your doctor. Make your appointments. Take your medication. Show up to physical therapy. Additionally, ensure that you’re speaking to your personal injury lawyer every step of the way.
By following a few important steps, it ensures that you’re getting the help that you need. If you stop listening to your doctor, it can lead to further injuries. Additionally, it may show that you’re not as injured as once expected, even if that’s not the case.
Having a personal injury lawyer at your side helps you to know what needs to be done. You can get step-by-step instructions on what to do and how to do it. Your lawyer will be available to answer questions and help you when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Patience is a virtue. Particularly when you’re seeking a workers’ compensation settlement, you need to be patient. It can take time. In many instances, a settlement can take 12 months or longer. One of the reasons for this is because you need to get cleared by a doctor. There may also be a significant amount of back and forth between the lawyer and the insurance company to come to a settlement amount that is agreeable for both parties.
Contact Us at The Shiner Law Group Today
Seeking the help of a lawyer will make it easier to know more about the potential for a workers’ compensation settlement in Florida. How you got injured and the injuries that you sustained will be a big part of what your settlement will be worth. There is no specific number that works for everyone because everyone’s case is unique.
By contacting us, we can have you sit down with a personal injury lawyer in West Palm Beach to talk about the specifics of your injury. We can come to your home or even visit you in the hospital. We’ll talk to you about your options and discuss some of the “average” situations that have occurred with past clients.
The sooner you start working with a lawyer, the easier it is to know that you’re being prioritized. Don’t let your employer bully you into a settlement that is less than what you’re entitled to. Call us at The Shiner Law Group today.
