Catastrophic Workplace Injury Lawyers | Darwin F. Johnson

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Catastrophic Workplace Injury Lawyers in Atlanta

Your employer is required to create and maintain a safe work environment to minimize the risk of injury. If you have suffered a catastrophic work accident in Fulton County, you can be entitled to a lifetime of income benefits. Our team of catastrophic workplace injury lawyers understand how stressful and devastating a catastrophic workplace injury can be, and we work with clients in the Atlanta area that seek representation to recover lost wages, as well as compensation for medical records and other damages.

As you are dealing with a work-related injury, we urge you to contact our law firm to speak with a reputable and experienced lawyer about your occupational accident. We provide you with personalized service and fight to protect your rights.

Catastrophic injuries involve permanent damage to the victim that can lead to numerous medical complications. These injuries alter the lifestyle of the victim and trusting a catastrophic work accident lawyer from The Law Offices of Darwin F. Johnson ensures you’re receiving the highest quality of representation.

See more information on each type of injury:

Working on behalf of injured workers, there are instances where our clients are never able to return to work. Through visits to the doctor, rehabilitation, surgeries, and more, their life has been turned upside down due to their workplace accident. We learn to understand your situation and proceed to use our litigation skills to help injured clients and their families obtain the compensation they deserve.

Occupational Accident Lawyers in Atlanta

When you are in an unsafe occupational environment, you face the risk of becoming incapacitated every day you report to work in Atlanta. Consulting with our workers’ compensation attorney and/or catastrophic workplace injury lawyers for your injury, we’ll go over all the details and look at your medical records to determine the scope of the damage.

Many workplace catastrophic injury cases involve severe damages that qualify for income and monetary benefits from your employer.

Head Trauma / Blunt Force Trauma from Falling Objects
Amputation or Lost Limbs
Spinal Cord Injuries / Paralysis / Paraplegia
Head & Neck Injuries
Blindness
Burns
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome / Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

Treatment can be expensive for any and all catastrophic injuries. While victims are left unable to return to work, the lawyers from the Law Offices of Darwin F. Johnson working on your behalf will fight for the compensation you deserve. Without an attorney to handle your catastrophic workplace injury case, insurance companies can take advantage of you. We’ll help you avoid agreeing to a low settlement through our aggressive tactics.

What Indemnity Benefits Does Georgia Workers’ Compensation Provide for Catastrophic Injuries in Fulton County?

Serious workplace injuries will often result in the hurt employee being placed under work restrictions by their physician. To receive indemnity benefits, also known as workers’ compensation, is the first step in establishing your claim. Your employer will have the opportunity to make accommodations for those restrictions, if possible. In situations where they can’t, or your doctor determines you are totally disabled, you won’t be able to return to work.

The type of indemnity benefits you could receive after suffering a catastrophic injury may include any of the following:

Lost Wages
Temporary or Permanent Partial Disability
Temporary or Permanent Total Disability
Medical Care Benefits
Rehabilitative Benefits
Death Benefits

Workers who sustained devastating injuries while on the job in Fulton County and throughout the Atlanta region may be eligible for a catastrophic determination under Georgia workers’ compensation guidelines. This would entitle them to rehabilitation benefits, medical care, and indefinite total disability benefits unless they can return to work at a later date. Typically, victims suffering from these types of workplace injuries were in a traumatic accident that caused so much harm they will likely not be able to return to their jobs.

Another aspect of receiving workers’ compensation for sustained injuries at work is the amount of time you can draw benefits. Currently, without a catastrophic determination made on your case by the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, you would only have income replacement support for 400 weeks. This may not be enough time to fully recuperate or receive vocational training for your diminished work capacity. At The Law Offices Darwin F. Johnson, we can help build your case to prove that your injuries are catastrophic and deserve long-term benefits.

Who Determines if My Injury is Catastrophic?

When determining if an injured employee has suffered injuries that would qualify as catastrophic or non-catastrophic, their treating physician will usually render their determination. Keep in mind that the physician you see may not necessarily be one of your choosing. Their job is to determine the severity of the harm done according to the stipulations set forth by the law.

Georgia law allows you to choose who your authorized doctor will be, but the pool you can choose from gets determined by your employer. Several factors can impact who you will see, including whether your employer posted a list of doctors and explained it to you. This is also known as a “panel of physicians.” If they fail to post this list or do not follow the other rules required by the state code, this could make it possible for you to choose any doctor you want.

It is also possible that the Board will make this designation, but remember that injuries can improve or worsen as time goes by. If your doctor gives the okay for you to go back to work, you could lose the catastrophic status for your claim. This makes working with Fulton County catastrophic workplace lawyers like those at The Law Offices of Darwin F. Johnson a critical first step in protecting your rights and ensuring that your employer and insurance company follow the rules.

Should I Contact a Catastrophic Workplace Injury Lawyers?

Outside of the previously mentioned conditions that often signal that you have suffered a catastrophic workplace injury, you should also recognize when it’s time to contact our Atlanta region catastrophic workplace injury lawyers.

Below is a list of signs that you need to have an attorney representing your case::

Your medical bills are in the thousands or higher. No set bill amount would categorize your injury as catastrophic. But, if it is that serious, you owe a substantial amount of money because of surgeries, ongoing care, therapy, and more.
You are struggling financially because of your injury. Injuries that cause financial hardship, whether it be due to your inability to work or bills related to your care, are often catastrophic in nature.
You can’t go back to your old job or possibly not work ever again. Job-related injuries that leave you disabled to the point you can no longer do your former work, or any work at all, could qualify as catastrophic under Georgia law.

Can Catastrophic Workplace Injury Lawyers Protect my Social Security Benefit?

This is a question we frequently receive here at The Law Offices Darwin F. Johnson. If you are currently receiving social security benefits and suffer a catastrophic injury on the job, any compensation you receive could impact your federal program benefits. Since workers’ comp is for job-related illnesses or sustained injuries, it is typically paid by employers, insurance companies representing those employers, and even federal and state agencies. When receiving public disability benefits like Social Security, those funds go to those with disabling conditions unrelated to work.

Currently, if you are receiving workers’ comp in addition to your social security disability payments, their total amount must be less than 80% of your earnings before becoming disabled.

Can The Law Offices of Darwin F. Johnson Help Me?

If you or a family member recently suffered a traumatic work-related injury or illness that has left them unable to work, protect their best interests by consulting with a knowledgeable Fulton County catastrophic workplace injury attorney. It’s not uncommon for insurers to dispute the nature of an injury, including its determination to be catastrophic. These claims are costly, and insurers have one primary focus in mind: their bottom line.

With over four decades of combined experience and millions earned in settlements and suit awards for our clients, we know what it takes to ensure that your injuries receive the correct determination under Georgia compensation law. Call us to set up your free consultation at (404) 521-2667 or contact us online to schedule an appointment today.