Workers Compensation
Alabama Workers Compensation Attorney
Experienced Alabama, Workers' Compensation Lawyer
If you have suffered an on-the-job injury, you probably are eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits as prescribed by law. Unfortunately, your employer (or the insurance carrier that actually pays the benefits for the employer) may not voluntarily agree to provide those benefits in a timely way. Your employer and the insurance company has an attorney. Know why? They know that they need one. Who is looking after your interests?
When you are hurt, time is everything — you need prompt treatment, and you need prompt compensation payments. Furthermore, even if your employer or their insurance carrier does agree to pay for medical treatment, we often discover that folks who come to us for help have received low-ball settlement offers. Victims of work-related accidents can end up being victims again at the hands of the very people who should be providing assistance by law. These situations can result in the loss of thousands of dollars in benefits, and at the law office of Charles H. Rice, Attorney at Law, we do not tolerate these outcomes.
You've Suffered an Injury on the Job: Now What?
The first step after an injury is to notify your employer immediately of your work-related injury or illness. You must promptly report work-related injuries to your supervisor or the person responsible for handling injuries at your employment. Start keeping a calendar of such things as days of work missed, names and contact information of witnesses to the accident, comments made to you by workers about the claim (especially supervisory personnel), doctor and therapy visits, medications, and when and how much you are being paid (retain your compensation pay stubs) for your missed work.
Contact us today if you:
- Do not receive prompt medical treatment
- Have concerns about the amount or timing of temporary total (compensation) pay you are receiving
- Have concerns about the quality of medical care you are receiving
- Need help filing a workers' compensation claim timely and correctly
- Believe you have been wrongfully denied and need help with an appeal
You Have Rights. Let Us Help You Understand and Exercise Them
The Alabama Workers' Compensation Act was enacted by the Alabama legislature in 1919 to provide medical and financial benefits for workers who sustain an injury or illness while on the job. The Act is long and complex, comprised of 340 sections spread out over 293 pages (not counting supplements) in Sections 25-5-1 through 25-5-340, Code of Alabama. It changes with almost every decision of the appellate courts.
These Code sections have been interpreted by the courts over the last 89 years in thousands of cases, but in all these decisions, one thing has remained constant: the Act has been construed that its overriding purpose is the protection of injured workers from the catastrophic effect of injuries arising out of employment. Holder v. Weatherly, 456 So. 2d 812 (Ala. Civ. App. 1984).
It doesn't matter if you were careless or partly to blame for the accident — blame is not an issue. The question should be this: did the accident arise out of and during the course of your employment? If the answer is "Yes," your employer is responsible for promptly providing medical treatment and promptly paying temporary total compensation to you. Then comes the next big issue: how much should the employer pay in a work injury claim and for how long?
If you have questions about your rights under the Alabama Workers' Compensation Act (and you should), visit our workers' compensation FAQ page or contact us for an appointment and a free case evaluation. Our office is in Anniston within easy driving distance of Cleburne, Etowah, Talladega, Clay and St. Clair counties.
Charles H. Rice, Attorney at Law
1311 Gurnee Ave
Anniston, AL 36201-4568
Telephone: 256-238-0038 | Fax: 256-236-2668
Charles H. Rice, Attorney at Law, represents clients in Anniston, Alabama and other surrounding communities, including Birmingham, Saks, Jacksonville, Oxford, West End-Cobb Town, Gadsden, Alexandria, Weaver, Munford, Calhoun County, Talladega County, St. Clair County, Clay County, Cleburne County and Etowah County.