Lancaster Workplace Accident Lawyer
Recover Full Compensation for Pennsylvania Workplace Accidents with the Help of a Board-Certified Expert Attorney
Workers who are injured on the job often believe that they are limited to recovering workers’ compensation benefits and cannot bring a civil lawsuit for damages, even when the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. This is not entirely true. There may be instances when you have a valid negligence claim against the responsible party, in addition to your workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ comp only goes so far in helping out with medical bills and lost wages. A negligence claim, on the other hand, can provide you with the full amount of compensation available to help you deal with all of your present and future medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other legal damages. See below for information about your rights to recover after a workplace accident, and contact Lancaster workplace accident lawyer John P. Stengel after an injury on the job in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Examples of third party liability
Workers’ compensation does prevent you from suing your employer for negligence, including the negligence of a co-worker, supervisor, or the company itself. However, you are not prohibited from pursuing a claim against a negligent third party who is responsible for causing your injury. There are many different ways a third party (not you or your employer) may be liable for causing the accident. Below are some of the most common examples:
- You are driving in the performance of your job (making deliveries, picking up supplies, traveling between work sites, etc.), and you are injured in a car or truck accident. If the other driver caused the accident due to negligence, speeding, reckless driving or distracted driving, you may have a valid claim against that negligent driver. As with any automobile accident, your ability to recover compensation depends in part on your tort coverage under Pennsylvania’s fault and no-fault auto insurance laws.
- You are working off site (repairing an appliance, doing construction or remodeling, making a delivery, etc.), and there is a dangerous condition on the premises which causes you to slip and fall, trip, or otherwise become injured. You could have a valid premises liability claim against the property owner if you can prove the necessary elements of a slip and fall case.
- A third party company comes to your workplace to erect a scaffold, set up a crane operation, or perform repair or maintenance on equipment, and the third party performs its tasks negligently. That company can be held liable for injuries which result.
- You are injured from working with a defective product, such as a ladder, power tool, or machinery, which was defective when it left the manufacturer or when it was sold. You may have a products liability claim against the manufacturer, distributor or retailer of the defective product.
In a workers’ compensation claim, you only have to submit a report of the accident to start receiving benefits. In order to recover on a third party claim, however, you have to prove that other party’s negligence. This means you must prove that party owed a duty of care, breached that duty, and you were injured by that breach. You must also be able to prove the nature and extent of your injuries. Proving all of these facts to the satisfaction of a judge or jury, or to the insurance company, requires skill and knowledge grown from years of experience. John P. Stengel has been practicing personal injury law for 25 years, including experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants. He knows personal injury law inside and out, and his reputation is backed by national board-certification as a civil trial expert and an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell. John P. Stengel will fight tenaciously to hold responsible parties accountable and get you the compensation you deserve.
Call Lancaster Workplace Accident Lawyer John P. Stengel
If you have suffered an injury in a workplace accident in southeastern Pennsylvania, contact Lancaster lawyer John P. Stengel at 717-290-7971 for a free consultation. Mr. Stengel can come to you at your home or hospital room, and there is no fee without a recovery for you.
