You Helped Others. Now It’s Time For Someone To Help You.
You work in healthcare because you’re dedicated to helping people. You know what a fast-paced, demanding environment it is, and you accept that.
But you also face the risk of getting hurt at work.
When that happens, it’s time for someone to help you — You may be entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits.
You need to know your rights to ensure you get everything you’re owed.
Healthcare is the fastest growing sector of the economy. And it exposes you to occupational injury and illness at a rate higher than nearly any other industry.
Common workplace hazards include:
- Exposure to chemicals or drugs
- Use of sharp objects
- Lifting heavy weights
- High-stress situations
If you’re injured on the job, the attorneys at Schiro & Themer will fight to make sure you get the maximum benefits available under your employer’s Worker’s Comp policy. We help people in Springfield-Decatur, Champaign-Urbana, Danville and across Central Illinois.
The Risks You Face in Healthcare
Workplace injuries are very common in healthcare.
By definition, working in healthcare exposes you to sick and injured people and matters of life and death. In such a high stress and fast moving environment, injuries happen.
More than 18 million people work in healthcare in the United States. In a recent year, more than 700,000 of them were in Illinois alone.
Workers in residential and nursing care facilities suffered injuries at a rate of 6.5 per 100 full-time employees in one recent year, according to the Illinois Center for Injury Prevention.
Meanwhile, 5.8 per 100 full time hospital employees were injured.
Among healthcare workers, the most common type of injury was a fracture. And the most common affected body part was the back.
If you earn your living performing physically demanding tasks and you’re hurt doing your job, it could put a premature end to your career.
Or it could hinder your earning ability going forward.
Workers’ Comp laws should provide financial protection for these situations.
The attorneys at Schiro & Themer are here to help you understand your rights and fight to get all benefits you deserve.
What Are My Options?
Everyone has the right to a safe workplace, no matter their line of work.
But in industries like healthcare, injuries still occur at a high rate.
If you’ve been injured on the job, what options do you have?
1. File a Workers’ Comp claim.
The Workers’ Comp system was created to prevent lawsuits against your employer for injuries occurring on the job.
Because of that, employers are strictly liable for injuries on the job — meaning you don’t need to show they did anything to cause your injury. All you need to show is that the injury arose out of and in the course of your employment.
At Schiro & Themer, we know how to prove that you qualify for benefits, from medical benefits to temporary or permanent disability benefits covering a portion of your lost wages.
Or death benefits if you’ve lost a family member to a healthcare injury.
2. File a personal injury lawsuit.
While you cannot generally sue your employer, you can file suit against any third party that caused your work injury.
The benefit to filing a personal injury suit is that it makes certain damages available that aren’t available through Workers’ Comp, such as pain and suffering and loss of companionship damages.
The attorneys at Schiro & Themer dedicate their careers to helping people who were injured on the job.
We know how to get you what you deserve, and we’ll fight for every benefit you’re owed.