Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Inform Clients About Common Workplace Injuries
Serving the needs of injured workers in Baltimore and throughout the state
When you get injured at work it can have an impact on every area of your life. Your injury hinders your ability to do your job and support your family. Maryland’s workers' compensation system has been set up to provide workers who suffer injuries during the course of doing their job with a wage replacement and payment of medical expenses related to the injury.
In the event that you suffer a significant injury which requires a hospital stay or surgery, if your employer’s insurer denies your claim, or if you end up in any kind of a dispute about your claim, you might consider hiring an experienced Maryland workers’ compensation lawyer from Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. to represent your interests. A work injury that results in any kind of permanent impairment entitles you to be compensated for your permanent injury.
Common types of accidents that cause workplace injuries
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), there were 4,821 worker fatalities in 2014, which works out to 92 deaths each week and 13 deaths each day across the United States from workplace accidents. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there were nearly 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries in 2014, which is 54,000 fewer injuries compared to the previous year.
According to Compsource, a major worker's compensation insurer, the top 10 most common workplace accidents that cause injuries include the following:
- Overexertion
- Fall on the same level surface
- Fall to a lower level
- Bodily reaction
- Struck by an object
- Stuck against an object
- Highway incident/ traffic accidents
- Caught in/ compressed by
- Repetitive motion injuries
- Assaults and violent acts
What if my work injury was my fault? Am I still eligible for workers' compensation?
What if it was a co-worker's fault?
When you get hurt at work and your injury was caused by a coworker’s negligence, it's a case that requires some legal experience and some finesse. Because in that situation, Maryland, unlike many other states, actually does allow you to pursue a negligence claim against your coworker for their negligence in addition to having a workers’ compensation claim. But at the same time, you only want to do that when there's going to be a source of recovery for you in terms of there being applicable insurance.
And at Plaxen Adler Muncy, one of the things we do really well is knowing when there's a situation where we can make that recovery for you, and when there's not and giving you the proper guidance.
Occupational diseases covered by workers’ compensation
Workers' compensation also includes occupational illnesses and diseases, which occur over the course of months or years of exposure to toxins or other dangerous substances. At Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A., our Baltimore workers’ compensation lawyers have helped countless people suffering from occupational conditions such as:
- Blood borne infectious diseases
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Ergonomic and musculoskeletal disorders
- Heart disease
- Mesothelioma
- Silicosis
- Repetitive stress injuries
Whether your workers’ compensation claim is for an occupational injury or illness, the experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys at Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. are here to represent your interests and make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve when you have been injured at work.
Common office and "white collar" workplace injuries
Many people, when they think of worksite injuries, automatically think of construction workers and manual laborers as the people who are hurt. While many workplace injuries are incurred by people in these professions, the risk of sustaining an injury in a so-called “white collar” setting is also high. Some of the dangers which put Maryland office workers at risk include:
- Motor vehicle accidents. People who are required to drive from place to place while at work are at risk of being in a motor vehicle accident, which is a covered workers’ compensation claim, even if the accident is your fault. If the accident is caused by another driver then you have both a workers’ compensation claim and a claim against the driver that hit you. If you take a company vehicle home you may even have a workers’ compensation claim while driving to and from work, this is an exception to the general rule that you are not covered for workers’ compensation claims while traveling to and from work.
- Slips, trips and falls. A broken piece of tile, a wet floor, a loose section of rug – any time the floor upon which you walk is not level or is covered in debris of some kind, you risk being injured. This risk can increase for workers in heels, as the heel may become wedged in a crack in the floor, leading the worker to stumble.
- Repetitive stress injuries. Perhaps the most well-known repetitive motion injury for office workers is carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the wrists and hands. But any repetitive motion can lead to an injury, like holding the phone between your ear and shoulder all day. If your position requires you to scan objects or make copies all day, you can also suffer a repetitive stress injury. However, it is very important that your doctor directly relate your repetitive stress injury to your employment for it to be a covered workers’ compensation claim.
I got in an accident at an appointment. Is this a work injury?
If you've been hurt in a car accident when you're coming back from an appointment, or coming back from somewhere where you were working, it's oftentimes people think that you're not going to be covered, because you weren't actually working. You were just driving to and from wherever it is you're supposed to be for work.
However, you are covered. That is a very clear workers’ compensation case, because you were in the course of employment where you were, and you're headed to somewhere else, where you're going to be back in the course of employment, get back to doing your job. That time is considered to be work time, and an injury that occurs during that time is covered by workers’ compensation.
Contact our dedicated Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys for a free consultation
If you have sustained a workplace injury, call the Columbia & Baltimore workers’ compensation attorneys of Plaxen Adler Muncy at 410-730-7737 or contact us. We have offices in Baltimore, and elsewhere throughout the state. We offer free initial consultations and a flexible appointment schedule. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you get the benefits you have earned.