Workplace Accidents Lawyer Kansas City

Kansas City workers spend an average time of around eight hours a day, five days a week, at work, or even more. A significant part of a person’s life is spent at work no matter how you look at it, and unfortunately, employees can suffer different types of injuries while at work.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 3 million people suffered from workplace injuries and illnesses in 2012. Most of these injuries were caused by overexertion, slip-and-fall accidents, burns, being caught in machinery, or repetitive motion.

In the city of Kansas, the Division of Workers’ Compensation in the Department of Labor handles workers’ compensation claims within the area. If you experience a workplace injury, get immediate help from a Kansas City work injury attorney so that you can get the rightful compensation you deserve.

Types of Work Injuries

Depending on the job, employees can deal with all kinds of injuries while working. The most common injuries are:

1. Back Injuries

Back injuries are also among the most painful and debilitating medical problems you could ever experience. Back injuries can be related to herniated, bulging, slipped discs, spinal cord damage, back spasms, cervical disc fractures, or pinched nerves.

Such injuries can develop in time by making the same repetitive motion over and over again. Other causes may be a slip and fall accident, a vehicle accident, or a lifting accident. Back injuries vary in severity, from minor pain to severe cases requiring long-term medical treatment.

2. Neck Injuries

Similar to back injuries, neck injuries can also develop over time while performing daily duties. Minor injuries can be treated with medical treatment within a matter of weeks or months. The pain may radiate into your head, back, shoulders, arms, and fingers when suffering from neck injuries. Unfortunately, severe neck injuries often require surgeries.

Neck injuries are also one of the most severe work-related injuries, but you can be entitled to workers’ compensation for them.

3. Knee Injuries

The knee contains bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. With a knee injury, any of these parts can be affected. The most common knee injuries in the workplace are tendon tears, knee muscle injuries, cartilage injuries (chondromalacia), ligament strains, Patellofemoral pain syndrome, or broken and fractured kneecaps.

If you suffered a knee injury at your workplace in Kansas City, you could receive workers’ compensation benefits, such as medical expenses, lost wages, or rehabilitation.

4. Hand and Wrist Injuries

Hand and wrist injuries are the second most common work-related injury among American workers, following back injuries. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is among the most familiar wrist injuries, and it is painful due to the pressure on the median nerve in your wrist. Hand and wrist injuries usually appear because of repetitive hand movements. For example, people who work with computers often complain about wrist injuries.

5. Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries mainly occur due to heavy lifting or repetitive arm movements. Some of the shoulder injuries that may occur in the workplace are:

• Dislocated shoulders
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Frozen shoulder
• Range of motion impairment
• Severe shoulder pain

Minor injuries may have a short healing process, but the more serious ones could require surgeries or long-term treatment.

5. Burns and Electrocutions

Approximately 1,000 deaths occur in the United States every year due to electrocution accidents at the workplace. The leading causes are power lines, faulty wiring, or malfunctioning appliances, which puts the safety of construction workers, engineers, and electricians at high risk. Electrocution injuries can cause severe burns, nerve damage, internal organ damage, seizures, and death.

6. Occupational diseases

An occupational disease is a condition that occurs as a direct result of work or occupational activity. It has been reported that nearly 860,000 illnesses and 60,300 deaths occur each year in the United States due to workplace exposure. Some of the most familiar occupational diseases are:

• Lung disease
• Heart disease
• Skin disease
• Mesothelioma
• Asbestosis
• Central nervous system disease

Typically, these conditions occur due to high exposure to agents such as radiation, asbestos, pesticides, gas, or other dangerous solvents and chemicals.

What You Should Do If you Suffer a Workplace Accident in Kansas

To successfully file a claim if injured at your workplace, you must follow certain steps to protect your rights. Immediately after a workplace accident occurs, make sure to:

• Tell your employer. Your employer will be responsible for filling out the paperwork and later on submitting it to their workers’ compensation insurance company. If you notice any symptoms from an injury or occupational disease at work, inform your supervisor as soon as possible.
• Seek medical help. No matter what doctor or healthcare professional you visit, remember that you have to tell them how the injury occurred.
• Attend all medical appointments and follow all treatments. If you fail to attend your medical appointments, your company’s workers’ compensation insurance might decide to check up on your compliance, and your claim could be affected.
• Contact a Kansas City personal injury attorney. By hiring a personal injury attorney, you will better understand what compensation you are entitled to, and what are your legal grounds.

At RKB LAW, LLC, we will take legal action before the expiration of Kansas’ statute of limitations. We will walk you through every step when filing your personal injury claim, and we won’t stop until we reach a fair settlement.

What Benefits Are Available Through Workers’ Compensation?

Suppose you or a family member has suffered an injury at the workplace in Kansas. In that case, you can be entitled to a significant source of income that will be helpful during this difficult time. These much-needed benefits can be provided without proving negligence or fault. In Kansas City, Missouri, an approved workers’ compensation insurance claim can lead to the recovery of some benefits, such as:

• 100% of the medical bills and health care expenses, the travel cost is included
• Two-thirds of the average working wages
• Temporary partial or total disability benefits
• Permanent partial or total disability benefits
• Lost income
• Funeral or burial expenses

However, the benefits vary from case to case, depending on the specifics of your injuries. Before accepting or signing any workers’ compensation settlement, it is crucial to ask for legal assistance from a personal injury lawyer.

You must understand that you have an inherent set of rights. However, there are some limitations. If you decide to go to your doctor after suffering a workplace accident, the employer might not have to pay for your medical bills.

Kansas and Missouri State Laws

Under Kansas and Missouri workers’ compensation law, if you have suffered a permanent injury, you may get regular monthly payments for the loss of your future wages. You will still need to fight hard for your rights, and if you are overwhelmed or in pain, you might not have the strength to do so. If you fail to file your personal injury claim, you could lose thousands of dollars in potential income. Moreover, a recent study has shown that the injured workers who did not seek legal advice when filing their claims received 50 percent less compensation than those who hired a personal injury attorney.

Following Kansas state law, employees are required to give notice of an injury to their employers within 20 days of the injury. For repetitive trauma, employees have 20 days from the date of diagnosis. The procedure for filing a claim in Kansas is usually called an ‘Application for Benefits .’ The employees generally have two years to file the paperwork that entitles them to monetary compensation for permanent impairment or disability.

Contact a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Today

Our law firm knows how to deal with workplace injuries and that pursuing a workers’ compensation claim can be a complex process. We will take the burden off of your shoulders while letting you rest and heal.

We are ready to help. We will listen to your case and let you know whether or not you need legal representation to receive the benefits you deserve. Contact us for a free consultation at (816) 813-8256 and get your life back on track!