Southfield, MI, Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Your Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Helps You Get the Benefits You Deserve

A serious workplace accident changes your life in an instant. You’re in pain, unsure whether you will heal or if you’re permanently disabled, and wondering how you will support your family. You are entitled to coverage under your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance plan for your medical care, including emergency treatment and any follow-up care such as surgery or physical therapy. You’re also provided disability benefits while you’re out of work.

However, not all Michigan workers get the fair benefits and compensation they deserve after a workplace accident. Insurance companies are notorious for minimizing claims — and that’s if they don’t allege that you caused the accident and deny your claim outright!

If your claim is denied, or if you suspect that your employer ignored critical safety violations that led to your accident, you may have grounds to file a workers’ compensation lawsuit to seek damages beyond the benefits guaranteed by the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency. Contact a workers’ comp lawyer today to learn more.

We can help. At Goodman Acker, we take workers’ rights seriously and fight hard to hold negligent companies accountable for creating unsafe working conditions. We’re by your side if you need to appeal a decision by the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Appeals Commission or when you’re ready to file a lawsuit against your employer for damages. Contact us today at (248) 286-8100 for a free case review with one of our Southfield, MI, workers’ compensation lawyers.

Goodman Acker is Not Your Ordinary Law Firm — Why Choose Us

How Our Southfield Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Are Different

The legal team at Goodman Acker, led by Barry Goodman, takes the rights of Michigan workers seriously. We believe you have the right to a safe working environment and shouldn’t have to risk life and limb to provide for your family. When you work with our firm, you’ll quickly discover that we are more than just a team of skilled Southfield, MI, workers’ compensation lawyers. We are your advocate in court, in negotiations with your employer and their insurance company, and before the Workers’ Disability Compensation Appeals Commission.

Our 99% Success Rate Speaks for Itself

We rise to the challenge of holding irresponsible and reckless Michigan businesses accountable for their actions. Our reputation as tenacious negotiators and incisive litigators speaks for itself. We have a strong reputation for honesty and strict adherence to legal ethics in the greater Detroit legal community.

When you work with us, you can trust that:

• We will be available 24/7 for client emergencies.
• We’ll fight for maximum compensation for you — just look at our record of winning!
• We’ll listen carefully to your concerns and help you find a solution.
• Our investigators will diligently search for proof of an employer’s wrongdoing to help your claim.
• We’ll prepare a personalized defense in your workers’ comp appeal.
• We’ll explain each step of the litigation process, from filing the case to settlement and trial.

The Goodman Acker reputation is backed by a long list of professional awards, accolades, and recognition. Several of our attorneys are included on the Super Lawyers List, have a spot on the list of Top 100 Trial lawyers, and have an AV Martindale-Hubbell Rating.

Newsgroups like FOX 17 feature Goodman Acker regularly. Our workers’ comp attorneys are a trusted name in our communities.

Possible Damages for Your Workers’ Comp Case

How a Workers’ Comp Attorney Can Help You Seek Maximum Compensation 

Michigan workers’ compensation insurance covers your medical care after the accident, from a visit to the emergency room to aftercare like chiropractor visits, evaluation by a specialist physician, or surgery. If, while performing your regular job duties, you develop a related medical condition — such as carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive motion strain or respiratory diseases from toxic exposure — your employer’s workers’ comp plan covers that too.

You’ll also receive disability payments while recovering from your injuries. These payments are calculated on a sliding scale depending on how much you made at the time of the accident.

Workers’ comp does not provide any compensation for pain and suffering from your injuries though. And while you may become eligible for temporary or permanent disability benefits if your injury renders you unable to work, you may deserve compensation for your diminished quality of life and changed abilities.

A workers’ comp lawsuit is a legal vehicle that permits you to seek compensation from a negligent employer for all your losses and damages. Contact a Southfield workers’ compensation lawyer at Goodman Acker today at (248) 286-8100 for a free case review.

Michigan Workers’ Compensation Regulations

Workers’ compensation rights, benefits, and employer obligations are all governed by the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Act. Under the Act, benefits are available to all injured workers, regardless of who is responsible for the illness or injury. Claims are filed with the Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency, which also oversees the Appeals Commission that decides appeals of denied claims and benefits.

Private employers with three or more workers and all public employers are required to carry a workers’ compensation insurance policy. Any full-time or part-time worker who is injured on the job or develops a job-related illness is eligible for a workers’ comp claim, regardless of how long they have been employed with the entity.

If you are working in an independent contractor capacity, you will not be covered by workers’ comp. However, some employers mistakenly misclassify workers as independent contractors, a status that isn’t determined just by what the employer calls a specific worker. If you believe your job classification is incorrect and you are an employee, not an independent contractor, speak with a workers’ compensation lawyer to see if you qualify.

Conditions Covered by Michigan Workers’ Compensation Benefits

If you get hurt in an accident on the job or are injured from malfunctioning machinery or broken safety equipment, you can get workers’ comp benefits.

Job-related illnesses are also covered. If your regular job duties cause you to develop a chronic medical condition (like carpal tunnel syndrome), sustain an injury (like a slipped disc or another overuse injury), or develop an illness or disease, then you will also have medical treatment covered.

For example, a car manufacturing employee who regularly paints automobile bodies may develop COPD or asthma from long-term exposure to paint fumes. Their treatment would be covered by workers’ comp too since the illness developed on the job.

If you have a medical condition prior to being hired, and in the course of your regular job duties your condition worsens or is further aggravated because of your work, you could also file a claim for treatment. However, workers’ comp claims for pre-existing conditions can be tricky to prove. An experienced workers’ comp lawyer can help you navigate the complexities of this type of claim.

Challenges for Filing Workers’ Comp Claims

Although employees have the right to medical coverage under workers’ comp, sometimes claims aren’t as straightforward as one would think. To be eligible for workers’ comp, you must prove that your injury or illness is job-related. If you were hurt in an accident, your claim is fairly easy to prove, but claims of a work-caused illness may be more complicated.

Your employer’s workers’ comp insurance carrier will need proof linking your job duties to your injury. When you inform your employer about your workplace-related injury, you will be required to be evaluated by their approved physician or medical center, even if you have a diagnosis from your doctor. But the employer’s physician, referred to as the treating physician in your workers’ comp paperwork, may not see the connection between your disease and your job duties that your own doctor did.

When workers’ comp causation comes into question, filing a claim quickly becomes more complicated. You may need an expert medical opinion to substantiate your claim. Often, hiring a Southfield workers’ compensation lawyer like those at Goodman Acker can help ensure that your claim has a favorable outcome.

Proving Employer Negligence in a Southfield Workers’ Comp Claim

How Your Southfield Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Builds Your Case

If unsafe working conditions led to your accident, you may be able to file a lawsuit against your employer. Many workplaces are required by law to follow the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) guidelines for their respective industry, and failure to do so could violate federal laws.

Some examples of an unsafe workplace where an employer could be liable include:

• A manufacturing plant with workstations lacking appropriate protective equipment
• A construction job site where the contractor doesn’t provide safety equipment like restraints
• A healthcare facility that doesn’t follow appropriate sanitation standards
• An employer that fails to provide appropriate safety training for employees.

Perhaps you know that your employer fails to conduct regular safety inspections of the equipment, which means that workers are using unsafe equipment. Your workers’ compensation lawyer will help you file a lawsuit naming your employer as negligent and therefore responsible for your injuries.

FAQ

Our Southfield, MI, workers’ compensation lawyers hear many of the same questions from our injured clients. Although the circumstances of each workers’ comp case are different, many have the same elements.

If you have specific questions about your workplace injury or believe you need legal advice, contact us today to schedule your free consultation.

Goodman Acker — Fighting the Good Fight for Workers’ Rights

Get Our 150+ Years of Combined Experience on Your Side

Have you been injured on the job? Are your employer’s unsafe working conditions making you sick? You have the right to a safe workplace and healthcare to treat any injuries or illness that occurs on the job. We know that getting hurt and missing work can be a stressful, traumatic time, and we’re here to help ensure that you get the compensation you’re entitled to.

We’re beside you at every step of the legal process. Get started today by contacting us at (248) 286-8100 to schedule a free consultation with a workers’ comp lawyer.

LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN

Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]