What Happens If You Are Injured By a Third-party At Work?

Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims

If you are injured on the job, and your claim is accepted by your self-insured company, or your company’s workers’ compensation carrier, your employer is responsible for paying your medicals bills, time out of work, and possibly compensation for a permanent injury.  Of course, they are not doing all of these things because of your years of long service, or out of the goodness of their corporate heart.  The law requires them to take care of injured employees as described above.  But, what happens if you are injured by a third-party, while you are working for your employer?

A common example of this is an automobile accident on the job where the negligent vehicle that hits and injures someone is operated by an independent third-party.  The simple answer to this is that the injured worker has not one, but two claims!  In this situation, the injured worker’s workers’ compensation insurance must pay medical bills, time out of work, and compensation for a permanent injury.  And, the injured worker then has a liability claim against the liability carrier for the motor vehicle that caused the injury.  The workers’ compensation insurance company also has a right to try and get paid back for what they paid out on the injured worker’s behalf from the liability insurance company.         

These cases can be quite complicated with many different parties all looking out for their own interests!  You need someone to look out for you, so call Tippens & Zurosky, so we can be your voice, answer all of your questions, and file your claim!  Tippens & Zurosky has knowledgeable, experienced attorneys certified in North Carolina and South Carolina, who can fight for your rights during this often long and difficult workers' compensation process.  Call us toll-free at 877-872-3580, or at 704-343-0018, for a free consultation.  Let us help you!