Your Legal Options After a Catastrophic Work Injury

Anyone can fall victim to a work injury that disrupts their health and independence. Some work injuries are deemed “catastrophic,” which means they prevent a victim from ever returning to their pre-injury state of life. Such catastrophic work injuries can throw victims into physical, emotional, and financial ruin. Unfortunately, catastrophic work injuries are all too common.

Learn about the prevalence of catastrophic work injuries and the legal options you may be able to pursue if you have suffered from one.

• What Are the Most Dangerous Jobs in North Carolina?
• Four Legal Options After a Work Injury
• Case Studies
• Video Q&A with Lisa Lanier

How Common Are Work Injuries?

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds in the United States. That amounts to approximately 510 workers injured per hour, 12,600 per day, 88,500 per week, and 4.6 million per year.

These injuries result in 104 million production days lost, along with monumental expenses in medical bills and lost wages for workers.

What Makes a Work Injury “Catastrophic”?

There is no denying that some work injuries are more serious than others. The three most common work injuries involve the following:

• Sprains, strains, or tears
• Soreness or pain
• Cuts, lacerations, or punctures

While these are the most common injuries, they do not negate the fact that more serious injuries still occur and place a heavy burden on workers and their families every year.

So, what qualifies a work injury as catastrophic?

A catastrophic injury, in essence, is one that is permanent. Such injuries often involve damage to the central nervous system—including the brain and spinal cord—because this system is particularly sensitive and susceptible to permanent damage. However, catastrophic injuries can also involve other parts of the body.

Common examples of catastrophic injuriesinclude, but are not limited to, the following:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Paralysis
• Head injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Serious burn injuries
• Amputation/dismemberment
• Loss of vision or hearing
• Organ damage

Suffering a catastrophic injury can cause unbearable pain and suffering not only for the victim, but for their loved ones as well. Additionally, to add insult to injury, most work injuries can be prevented when employers provide a safe and hazard-free environment, as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

What Are the Most Dangerous Jobs in North Carolina?

While every job has risks, there is no denying that some work environments are substantially more hazardous than others. The infographic below illustrates the most dangerous jobs in North Carolina based on the number of fatal accidents in 2016.

If you have suffered a catastrophic injury at work, it’s important for you to understand that you may have legal options. You do not need to pay for your recovery out of your own pocket. In most cases, an experienced attorney may be able to recover compensation for you to pursue medical treatment and support your family in lieu of your regular work income. There are several different avenues by which to do so.

Four Legal Options After a Work Injury

Most of the time, there are four legal options to pursue after a work injury, including the following:

#1. Workers’ Compensation Claim

The most common way to recover compensation after a work injury is through filing a workers’ compensation claim. While this is the simplest way to recover compensation, it should be noted that this method does not provide as much money as some of the other methods.

So, if you’re suffering from a catastrophic work injury, it may be better for you to pursue another option.

The workers’ compensation process varies from state to state. In North Carolina, workers’ compensation laws are governed by the Workers’ Compensation Act (Chapter 97 of the North Carolina General Laws) and claims are handled by the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

Every North Carolina employer who has three or more employees is required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. There are a few exceptions for employers with the following employees:

• Employees who are “casual” (perform work that is not part of a regular business)
• Domestic servants employed in a household
• Farm laborers in cases where there are fewer than 10 full-time workers
• Employees of the federal government or railroads

The workers’ compensation process works as follows:

• After a work injury, report the injury to your employer immediately, both orally and in writing.
• Identify the insurance carrier for your employer from the Industrial Commission by searching the Insurance Coverage Search System or filing a Form 18 against your employer. This information can also be found after your employer files a Form 19 reporting your injury.
• Your employer’s insurance company should then direct medical treatment. You have the option to petition the Commission to change physicians when good grounds are shown.
• You will also be eligible for lost wages after seven days if your disability continues past 21 days. You will be paid 66 2/3% of your average weekly wage, not to exceed $1,066 per week. You will receive this compensation until you are able to return to work or until 500 weeks passes. If you are disabled for more than 500 weeks, your attorney can petition the Industrial Commission seeking an award of benefits beyond 500 weeks.

#2. Woodson Claim

Another similar method of recovering compensation after a serious work injury is through a Woodson claim. A Woodson claim allows employees to seek damages resulting from an employer's intentional misconduct that is "substantially certain to cause serious injury or death.”

Previously, employees could only recover compensation after a work injury through a workers’ compensation claim. This was known as the “exclusive remedy” rule.

However, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in the 1991 case Woodson v. Rowland that an employee may sue their employer outside the workers’ compensation system for job-related injuries when the employer intentionally engages in misconduct knowing it is likely to cause serious injury or death.

Most of the time, Woodson claims involve very serious or catastrophic work injuries caused by an employer’s intentional misconduct. This differs from a typical workers’ compensation claim in that such a claim can involve any on-the-job injury, including one that was purely accidental.

#3. Product Liability Claim

Sometimes, a work accident will result from defective equipment. In this case, it may be possible to file a product liability claim against the equipment manufacturer.

Manufacturers are responsible for sending safe products to the market. The failure to do so—whether by negligence or intentional misconduct—may make the manufacturer liable for any injuries that their products cause.

In general, there are three types of product liability claims, including:

• Design defects: These occur when a product is designed in such a way that it is inherently dangerous for ordinary use.
• Manufacturing defects: A product has this type of defect when an error occurs during the manufacturing stage, rendering the product unsafe to use.
• Labeling defects: Also known as “marketing defects,” these occur when a product lacks safety warnings, instructions, or similar information.

Examples of product liability claims that may arise after a work injury include, but are not limited to, the following:

• A series of truck tires that are defectively manufactured and have a tendency to blowout with undue cause.
• A ladder defectively designed with a high center of gravity, making it more likely to tip over when workers climb on it.
• An electrical panel that has insufficient labeling and fails to warn workers of high voltage risk.

If you have been injured due to defective equipment on the job, an experienced personal injury attorney may be able to help you win your claim by proving the following:

• You suffered an actual injury.
• The product was defective, poorly designed, or did not have adequate warnings.
• The defective product was the cause of your harm.
• You used the product with reasonable care and in the manner intended.

#4. Third-Party Claim

Sometimes, there is someone other than your employer who is responsible for your work injury. In this case, you would file a third-party claim in order to recover compensation outside of the workers’ compensation system.

Examples where this might occur include, but are not limited to, the following:

• You go into work and take an elevator that is located on the job site. The elevator falls and you get injured. You would file a third-party claim against the elevator company for their negligence.
• You are selling items for your company on another company’s job site. A worker for this other company runs you over with a forklift. You would file a third-party claim against the forklift driver and/or their employer.
• You suffer serious injuries in a construction trench collapse on a site that is operated by another construction company. You would file a third-party claim against the construction company in charge of the site for their failure to maintain a safe environment for everyone there.

The main difference between one of these third-party claims and a workers’ compensation claim is that a workers’ compensation claim does not require you to prove fault. This can make the legal process for a workers’ compensation claim faster and easier. However, the payout may be significantly less.

Therefore, it’s in your best interest to contact an experienced personal injury attorney who can walk you through all of your options and determine the best course of action for your unique situation.

Call Lanier Law Group, P.A.at (855) 757-4204 to schedule a free consultation.