Can undocumented workers get workers’ compensation?

The number of undocumented immigrants working in the United States has been a hot-button issue in recent years. In North Carolina and South Carolina, businesses have relied on undocumented workers to fulfill their employee needs in the areas of agriculture, construction, shipping and receiving, and manufacturing. But what happens when an undocumented worker gets injured on the job? Undocumented workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in North Carolina and South Carolina. But, these workers often feel caught between a rock and hard place in pursuing a workers’ compensation claim.

The threat of deportation may cause an undocumented worker to not report an injury, and risk the job that is providing for their family. But, if the injured undocumented worker does not report the injury, their company, or the workers’ compensation insurance company, will not pay for medical bills, or provide benefits to allow the injured undocumented worker to support his or her family, while they are unable to work due to the workplace injury. Companies save money by hiring undocumented workers in terms of cutting safety costs because they know that undocumented workers are far less likely to report and file for workers’ compensation. The fact remains -- immigration status has no effect on an injured workers’ ability to file and collect workers’ compensation.



Workers’ compensation benefits are for all the workers in North Carolina and South Carolina. If you are an undocumented worker, and get hurt on the job you have rights! Don’t let an unscrupulous company intimidate you into not filing a claim. Companies do what is best for companies, and if you get hurt on the job, you need to do what is best for you! Tippens & Zurosky represents people injured on the job and in automobile accidents in North Carolina and South Carolina. Call us toll-free at 877-372-3580, or at 704-343-0018, for a free consultation. Let us help you!

Texting and Driving Can Be Fatal. It Can Wait.

The Loss of Polite Society

In a time long ago, people would walk the streets of their towns and cities, and greet each other with a tip of the hat, or warm greeting wishing each other a good day.  Neighbors would pitch in and help each other with watching children, tending crops, and rally together to combat any emergency situation.  Proper manners were practiced by all members of society, and respect was routinely shown for the generations that came before.  And, shockingly at night, people would have conversations with each other, and their children.

Today we shuffle through life as technology zombies, so reliant on our phones for staying connected that we don’t even notice the people we are passing by, and thus cannot connect with in a human fashion.  We use technology as an excuse, burying our faces in our phones to purposely avoid human contact.  In trying to stay connected to our news feed, social media, and text mates, we have succeeded in staying disconnected from the world.  And, it starts at an early age, as today’s toddlers are pacified with tablets and phones, and thus develop the attention spans of mayflies.

We take our phones with us everywhere even when taking out the garbage, or utilizing the washroom.  But, we are exposing ourselves, and those around us, to major danger when we bring our phones into our automobiles, and fail to disconnect.  How many times have you looked over at someone next to you at a traffic light, and saw they were on their phone?  That is of course assuming you looked over in the first place and weren’t staring at your own phone!  How many times have you had to honk to get the person in front of you to recognize that the light had changed from red to green?  The reality is that if you are looking at your phone, you are not paying attention to the road.   Texting and driving can be an all too fatal way to stay connected with your social contacts.  Trying to finish and send an email while driving might even be worse.  Texting and email drivers are distracted drivers.  It only takes a second to cross over the yellow line, catch the edge of the road, or fail to see that traffic has stopped in front of you.  Put down your phone while driving, because your life literally may depend on it! 

So, if all things tend to run in cycles, then perhaps we will go back to a time when people actually talked to one another.  Can you imagine your life without social media, texting, and streaming?  What would that even be like?  Oh, yeah, it would be like the good old days, and maybe then people would treat each other like people, and that can never be a bad thing!      

Tippens & Zurosky represents people injured on the job and in automobile accidents in North Carolina and South Carolina.  Call us toll-free at 877-372-3580, or at 704-343-0018, for a free consultation.  Let us help you!

Cold Weather Can Lead To Injuries On The Job and On The Road

Winter is Coming…Oh Wait It is Here!

North Carolina and South Carolina are seeing some of the coldest temperatures, and severe weather that has hit the area in decades.  The freezing temperatures and inclement weather have brought hidden and obvious dangers to job sites, warehouses, parking lots, and other workplace common areas.  Parts of North Carolina and South Carolina have seen record amounts of water, ice, and snow that make areas such as roadways, sidewalks, bathrooms, hallways, and parking lots hazardous to your footing.  It is an absolute must to take extra care in these areas at your workplace that now may have hidden dangers to them that you are not normally used to having to worry about.

Likewise, at home if you need to use a supplemental heater that uses kerosene, or oil, make sure you do so safely.  And, if your power, and/or heating sources all go south because of the weather from the north, please do not try to tough it out.  Seek shelter as soon as possible so you don’t become a news story, or a statistic.  Plan ahead for the weather, and above all be safe because Spring is just a few short months away!  Tippens & Zurosky represents people injured on the job and in automobile accidents in North Carolina and South Carolina.  Call us toll-free at 877-372-3580, or at 704-343-0018, for a free consultation.  Let us help you!

Resolve to Have a Better Year

The practice of making New Year’s resolutions began about 4000 years ago with the Babylonians, who did theirs in March, not in January as we do today.  They were making promises to the gods, while we most often today make promises to ourselves.  The Babylonians were looking for their gods to help them make things right.  Most people today resolve to do things on New Year’s Eve that they think will help them do things the right way, or become a better person.  Generally, folks are not successful with their New Year’s resolutions, which explain why the gyms and health clubs return to their normal level of business mere weeks after the New Year.  No one ever said trying to be better was easy!

Perhaps, the key to a successful resolution is to make one that you can actually keep.  If you have never liked to read books, resolving to read two or three a week is probably not going to happen.  So, maybe it is a matter of not trying to do more, and not trying to do so at a faster pace than ever before.  Resolve to do what you do well even better by working not longer, but smarter, and more efficiently.  Focus on adding value, not adding activities, or time.  If you do, these are the kind of New Year’s resolutions that you will actually keep!      

Tippens & Zurosky represents people injured on the job and in automobile accidents in North Carolina and South Carolina.  Call us toll-free at 877-372-3580, or at 704-343-0018, for a free consultation.  Let us help you!

I Got Hurt During My Company’s Vegas Trip – Is that Workers’ Compensation?

Many companies have a yearly outing to Las Vegas, or another similar destination where alcohol is flowing freely, and judgment is often compromised by a “party” atmosphere.  So, what happens if you get injured during the good times?  Is your injury covered under workers’ compensation?  If you slip and break your collarbone because you slipped on the casino’s marble steps, there are factors which dictate whether this is workers’ compensation or not.  The workers’ compensation laws of North Carolina and South Carolina construe what is in the course of your employment very broadly.

Factors that come into play for an injury that occurred at a company outing include: 

• Whether the outing was sponsored, and paid for by your employer.
• Whether you were paid wages for attending.
• Whether the outing was considered a fringe benefit of employment.
• Whether attendance was mandatory, and whether there would be a penalty for not attending.

And, whether the purpose of the outing was to benefit the employer, such as improving employer/employee relations.

So, if you have been hurt on the job during a company outing, pick up the phone and call Tippens & Zurosky, so we can be your voice, answer all of your questions, and file your claim!  Tippens & Zurosky has knowledgeable, experienced attorneys who can fight for your rights during this often long and difficult workers' compensation process.  Call us toll-free at 877-372-3580, or at 704-343-0018, for a free consultation.  Let us help you!

Tippens & Zurosky Wish You a Safe and Happy Holiday Season.

It seems that all year we rush to get the kids off to school, rush to work, and rush home.  And the next day, we get up and do it all over again.  Time doesn’t stop churning along, but sometimes we just feel so swept up in the hectic pace of life.  As the year comes to a close, now is the time to reflect back on the year, and either find closure if it wasn’t so great for you, or revel in the pleasant memories you may have of a wedding, birth of a child, or grandchild, or dream vacation.  All things pass, whether good or bad, and all we are ultimately left with is the perspective we gain from the experience.

So, this holiday season have a healthy perspective of your life, and don’t worry about the things, or the people you cannot change.  Instead, enjoy your life for your many blessings, and give thanks to all of those people that make your life a little bit better.  You may find you are the one that makes their lives better too!  Also, enjoy the little things in life, like the fall of the snow, the joy in a child’s eyes, and the unconditional love of your prized pooch.  Life is indeed what you make it, and this holiday season we hope you make your life the very best it can be for you and yours!     

If you get in an auto accident, or are injured on the job in North Carolina, or South Carolina during this holiday season, Tippens & Zurosky is available to serve your auto accident and workers’ compensation needs.  Tippens & Zurosky has represented people involved in auto accidents, or hurt on the job in North Carolina and South Carolina for nearly twenty years.  Let us answer any of your questions regarding any automobile accident, or work-related injury.  Call us toll free at (877) 372-3580, or 704-343-0018 to schedule a consultation so that we may assist you. 

Driving Tips To Stay Safe In The Carolina's This Holiday Season

Darkness Falls Across the Land…

We are rapidly approaching that time of year when Daylight Savings Time forces us to go to work when it is dark out, and return home from work, and school activities after the sun has set.  It seems that we don’t even get a chance to experience any sunlight, unless it is from the windows of our schools, or workplaces.  The madness of rush hour gets even crazier, no matter where you live, and even though our schedule has stayed the same it seems we have less time on our hands to get where we need to be.  So, when your daily routine has you driving around in the dark, don’t fall prey to the temptation to go a little bit faster, and get to your home, or job – a little less carefully.

Since your daylight is literally shorter, start your day just a little bit earlier, so you can get yourself, and your loved ones where they need to be that day.  It is also wise to focus on your surroundings, and if you are passing a school, recreational park, or playground be extra cautious of children that may be playing, or practicing sports for their school, church, or club. The reality is that if you can’t see as well in the darkness that applies to the other drivers on the road too, except those drivers may not be as careful as they should be, and they may cause an accident.

If you find yourself as the victim of a careless driver, and get in an auto accident, or are injured on the job in North Carolina, or South Carolina, Tippens & Zurosky has time for you, and your questions.  Tippens & Zurosky has represented people involved in auto accidents, or hurt on the job in North Carolina and South Carolina for nearly twenty years.  Let us answer any of your questions regarding any automobile accident, or work-related injury.  Call us toll free at (877) 372-3580, or 704-343-0018 to schedule a consultation so that we may assist you.