Aurora Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Being injured at work is a nightmare many never want to experience. But unfortunately, it does happen, and when a workplace injury occurs, it’s crucial to know the different types of workers’ compensation benefits available.

Did you suffer a workplace injury or lose a loved one through a preventable death caused by another’s negligence? Do you need clarification on how to receive benefits from the Illinois workers’ compensation legal process?

At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our personal injury attorneys represent individuals harmed on the job, ensuring they receive the maximum Workers’ Compensation benefits and other financial compensation they deserve.

Call an Aurora workers’ compensation lawyer at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form today to schedule a free consultation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits

You shouldn’t have to pay medical bills, stay out of work, or make sacrifices because of an accident while working. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney will help ensure you’re financially taken care of.

Employees can access certain workers’ compensation benefits if injured on the job. Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance covering medical expenses and lost wages for those injured while performing their jobs.

With so much to gain from workers’ compensation, it pays to be well-informed about what you’re entitled to receive.

The first type of workers’ comp is called “first-party.” This type would cover your medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses related to your work injury or illness if it happened on the job.

Another type of workers’ comp is called “third-party” coverage. Third-party compensation covers things like death benefits in case you die from an occupational disease or accident while working and disability payments for those unable to work due to their injuries sustained at work.

What Injured Aurora Workers Should Do

If you’re injured on the job, talk with your employer about the workers’ compensation benefits you can receive. Call a reputable Aurora attorney if you’re unsure what might be covered.

After being injured at work, the last thing you want to worry about is filing a claim and getting the coverage that’s rightfully yours.

At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our experienced workers’ compensation lawyers have the knowledge and understanding to ensure you receive everything you deserve.

Aurora, IL Workers’ Comp Information Center

Each person’s case is unique. Do not make any decisions about your case without consulting a workers’ compensation attorney. If you or someone you know has suffered a work injury or illness, you must know the types of workers’ compensation benefits available.

The first type of workers’ comp is called “first-party.” A monetary recovery through benefits should cover medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses related to your work injury or illness if it happened on the job.

The second type is called “third-party” coverage, which could include death benefits if you die from an occupational illness, disease, or workplace accident and disability payments for those unable to work due to injuries sustained at work.

Aurora, Illinois

As the second-largest city in Illinois, Aurora is also home to numerous manufacturers and has a leading connection to the transportation industry.

Whenever one of the city’s many workers is harmed while working, our workers’ compensation attorneys represent their needs and interests. We work to ensure they receive all the compensation they deserve to meet the cost of their medical treatment and out-of-pocket expenses throughout their physical recoveries.

To find out why we are one of the area’s most trusted and awarded personal injury firms, contact us to arrange a consultation for legal advice, disability benefits, family laws, and workers’ compensation cases.

Aurora’s Historical Links to Industry and Manufacturing

Most of Chicago’s suburbs have histories of deep involvement in manufacturing over the decades, and Aurora is no different.

The city is home to notable companies that include:

• Aurora Brewing Company
• Aurora Silverplate Manufacturing Company
• Barber-Greene, Allsteel Metals
• Caterpillar
• Chicago Corset Company
• Lyon Workspace Products
• Stephens-Adamson Company
• Western Wheeled Scraper Works

Caterpillar still employs over 2,500 workers at its Aurora facility, and Kraft Foods owns an 850,000-square-foot facility to distribute dry food products at the Prime Aurora Business Park.

Other notable employers include Luse Companies and Nissan North America, which operates a distribution center at the Meridian Business Park. Luse Companies is a large manufacturer of insulation and asbestos products.

Transportation Is a Deadly Industry

Our Aurora, IL, workers’ compensation lawyers have witnessed an undeniable link between transportation industry accidents and worker fatality. These accidents account for 4% of the total number reported in Illinois but 31% of workplace-related deaths.

Because Aurora is deeply connected to the transportation industry, it is also where many of these deadly accidents occur. Manufacturing and warehousing also present unique risks to workers, and many suffer debilitating injuries that impact their ability to resume their job duties.

The Burlington Northern, Santa Fe, Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroads run through Aurora. Railroad accidents are some of the most brutal and devastating injuries to strike workers, and those who survive are often left permanently disabled.

Workers who are severely injured and the families of those killed in workplace accidents are entitled to recover compensation, even if their employers were not at fault for their injuries.

Illinois Workers Compensation Act

Were you injured on the job in Illinois? If so, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The Workers Compensation Act benefits employees injured or ill due to their job. You must file a claim with the Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission to qualify for benefits.

The Commission will process your workers’ compensation claim and determine whether you are eligible for benefits. If you are approved for benefits, the Commission will help you obtain the medical care and financial assistance you need while you recover from your work-related injury.

Injured Workers Filing Workers’ Compensation Claims

While many injured employees apply for their workers’ compensation benefits without legal assistance, they may be eligible for additional financial recovery through their employer and other third parties.

Receiving workers comp disability benefits typically restricts the employee from filing a civil lawsuit against their employer for additional compensation. However, there may be significant loopholes to receiving more compensation than the workers’ comp program allows.

Can I Sue Workers Comp for Pain and Suffering?

According to workers’ comp law, injured employees are limited in compensation when hurt on the job. Worker’s Comp. is an insurance policy that restricts the amount of monetary recovery paid weekly, biweekly, or in a structured settlement that limits benefits to past and ongoing medical bills and time away from work.

However, there may be opportunities for additional benefits through other legal channels. For example, injured employees denied workers’ comp benefits or those whose injuries do not align with their employer’s explanation of the incident should consult an Aurora worker’s comp lawyer.

How Aurora Worker’s Comp Claims Are Processed

The Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission is responsible for handling workers’ comp claims and settling disputes between workers who have been injured and their employers.

The Commission is also responsible for providing additional benefits to those whose employers were not adequately insured or whose injuries resulted in permanent disabilities. The hearing site that handles cases for the Aurora, IL area is located in Wheaton at:

DuPage County Government Center

421 N. County Farm Road
I-500A, JTK Building
Wheaton, IL 60187

When filing a workers’ compensation claim with our law group, it is essential to understand your rights. Over 86% of injured employees elect to be represented by Aurora, IL, personal injury lawyers to ensure they are not taken advantage of by their employers or insurance companies.

What you are entitled to following any work injury includes:

• The full value of your past and future medical treatment– Many workers are fooled into believing they must be treated only by doctors and at facilities approved by their employers, but this is untrue. You can seek the best available medical treatment by choosing which doctors will provide your care.
• Receive two-thirds of your wages during your leave of absence from work– When you are sidelined during rehabilitation, you can receive 67% of your current salary or average paycheck.
• Additional compensation to cover the long-term cost of permanent disability– The Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission maintains a fund to cover the cost of living increases over time. These increases ensure your workers’ compensation benefits are not eroded by inflation in the years ahead.

Less Than One in Four Injured Illinois Workers Filed for Compensation

The 2017 Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission showed 200,000 workplace injuries in the state. However, only 25% of these claims are filed with them.

Data on employees who could have filed a workers’ compensation claim and claimants show that many never received their deserved benefits. About 90% settle for an acceptable amount, but only 10% will be denied by arbitrators working with the Commission.

Cook County (Chicago) had the highest worker’s compensation claims filed at 33.6% because about half of all injured workers were denied benefits. Only 10% settled, and almost one-third was submitted to Cook County in 2017.

The top leading causes of job-related injuries that did not result in a wrongful death included:

• Slips, trips, and falls
• Contact with equipment or objects
• Workplace violence
• Exposure to harmful toxins
• Environmental conditions

The most common industries for Illinois worker’s compensation benefits were:

• Government employees (such as police officers)
• Manufacturing jobs such as construction work on buildings and cars
• Natural mining resources like gas drilling sites where employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals and services activities, including restaurant wait staff who can get cuts from knives when they’re busy working hard during the lunch rush hour

Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Who Represent Injured Workers

Our Aurora, IL, law offices apply our comprehensive understanding of all applicable employment laws to ensure that you receive the maximum weekly cash benefits allowed by civil tort laws.

Injured victims should contact an experienced lawyer from our Illinois law group to schedule a free consultation to discuss filing a workers’ comp claim for medical benefits and permanent/temporary disability payments.

Our legal team will work immediately, collecting pertinent information and gathering the evidence to build your case to ensure you receive the maximum workers’ compensation claim allowed.

Our Aurora worker’s compensation lawyers also provide legal services and representation to families who have lost a loved one through a preventable death. Our workers’ compensation attorneys handle all legal disputes over earning capacity and work-related duties and payment for vocational training after a workplace accident.

Work Injuries Eligible for Compensation

While nearly every employee in Illinois can file for benefits through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation program when hurt on the job. Not all work-associated injuries are eligible for compensation.

Typical work injuries eligible for monetary recovery include:

• Repetitive stress injuries
• Construction worker injuries
• Truck driver injury
• Manufacturing injuries
• Workplace accident
• Car accident injuries (auto accidents are covered when driving while working)
• Workers exposed to lead or other hazardous substances
• Exposure to asbestos-related injuries
• Burns
• Chemical exposure injuries
• Occupational illness
• Permanent injuries resulting in the loss of a limb
• Wrongful death claims

If you have suffered one of these injuries, speak to the personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, (888) 424-5757. If your injury is ineligible for compensation, you do not have to give up your rights to recover damages. The law provides a “common law” remedy to seek damages from the at-fault party.

The Benefits of Legal Representation for Worker’s Compensation Matters

If your employer has the appropriate insurance to cover the cost of your workers’ comp claim, the insurance company will likely attempt to limit its financial responsibility.

However, when your employer violates worker safety and benefits laws requiring it to make the proper provisions for its injured workers, you have the grounds you need to file a lawsuit.

Many injured workers are unaware of their rights and allow their employers or insurance companies to push them around. As a result, your payments may be delayed, or you may be told that you are not entitled to the benefits you deserve, which is invalid.

Our workers’ compensation lawyers in Aurora have extensive experience working through the many challenges injured employees face when filing personal injury cases and worker’s compensation claims. Our personal injury attorneys work in all areas of law and handle work-related injuries.

For example, most experienced workers are unaware that when an employer or workers’ compensation insurance company delays payment or underpays an injured employee, the government might require the company to provide maximum compensation as a punitive measure.

Hiring Aurora Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Were you injured on the job, or did you lose a loved one through a preventable death caused by your employer’s negligence? Are you seeking financial compensation and pursuing justice to ensure your family receives adequate financial compensation for damages?

At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our Aurora workers’ compensation lawyers represent clients harmed by their employer’s or other parties negligence.

Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer in Aurora, Illinois, at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation.

Our Aurora personal injury law firm accepts all personal injury cases and wrongful death lawsuits on a contingency fee basis. This promise ensures you pay nothing until your case is resolved through a jury trial award or negotiated settlement.

Resources:

• Workers’ Comp | U.S. Department of Labor
• About Workers’ Compensation | CWCS | NIOSH | CDC