An individual who has been injured at work has different remedies available than someone who is hurt by an accident occurring in public places, business facilities, or even in their own homes. Workplace injuries can be minor, such as bumps and bruises from a slip and fall at the office, or they can be serious injuries that lead to lifelong disability. Most of these injuries and the related expenses for treatment are covered by the employer’s Workers’ Compensation insurance.
The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation system was intended to eliminate contentious litigation between employers and their injured employees, and it was also designed to streamline the process for compensating those employees for their medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering. However, just like liability insurance companies, Workers’ Compensation insurance companies like to hold on to their money. The claims for benefits from an injured worker can necessitate an administrative hearing, or even a trial in a Pennsylvania courtroom.
One such recent case involved a 72-year-old priest from Allentown, PA, who slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk outside his church. The priest was cared for at a Level I trauma center, and was treated for two unstable spinal fractures. The total cost billed to the self-insured employer by the hospital was over $406,000. The diocese’s insurance specialist paid the Lehigh Valley trauma center slightly more than one third of the total, arguing among other things that, since his injuries were not life-threatening, it was questionable that the priest’s condition warranted the Level I care provided during his entire recovery. The Pennsylvania Court ruled that the diocese’s Workers’ Compensation insurer was liable to pay the entire hospital bill for the injured priest.
In this case, the battle was between the hospital and the Workers’ Compensation insurance carrier, but ultimately the balance of approximately $260,000 might have fallen in the lap of the elderly priest. Experienced attorneys for the hospital won their case, however, at the administrative level, and defeated the employer again in its appeal in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Success in difficult Workers’ Compensation trials can depend heavily on the quality and experience level of the attorney arguing your case. By retaining a Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation attorney who knows how to proceed from submission of the initial claim right through to careful case preparation for trial, you will increase your chances for the best possible cash settlement for your work-related injury.
The Media Workers’ Compensation attorneys at Schmidt, Kirifides & Fridkin know that your losses due to a work-related injury cannot be totally cured with money obtained through a Workers’ Comp claim. Even so, Schmidt, Kirifides & Fridkin will work diligently to arrive at the best possible outcome, whether you are located in Bucks, Berks, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia, or Delaware Counties, or any other county in Pennsylvania or Delaware. At Schmidt, Kirifides & Fridkin, an experienced Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation attorney is ready to provide the support you will need to successfully pursue your Workers’ Comp claim. Call today for a free consultation or email us.
For more information about this case, go to http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?page=1&xmldoc=In%20PACO%2020111028520.xml&docbase=CSLWAR3-2007-CURR&SizeDisp=7
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