Work Injuries
Tate Law Offices Represents Injured Workers for On-the-Job Injury Claims
Each year, thousands of Texas workers suffer work injuries due to accidents on the job, exposure to hazardous chemicals, workplace falls, and a host of other causes. The unfortunate outcome of work injuries is often expensive medical bills and lost income. When employers have workers’ compensation insurance, injured employees may file a workers’ compensation claim to offset these costs. But what if your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance or someone other than your employer is responsible for your work injuries? Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to file a claim against your employer or a responsible third party to seek compensation for your injuries. The experienced work injury attorneys at Tate Law Offices understand the pain and frustration that work injury victims feel over being unable to work or provide for their families. We are dedicated to obtaining maximum case value for our clients to compensate for their work injuries and resulting financial losses.
Texas Workers’ Compensation Insurance (Real) vs. Nonsubscriber Employer Claims (Fake)
Workers’ compensation insurance offers no-fault medical and financial benefits to employees who are injured on the job. However, these benefits are very limited and often do not provide Texas employees with adequate compensation.
In Texas, employers may elect whether to carry or subscribe to real workers’ compensation insurance or choose to be a nonsubscriber and elect to purchase a replacement insurance plan. Real workers’ compensation insurance usually costs more than replacement insurance, but by purchasing the real insurance, employers protect themselves from being sued by an employee in most cases. Replacement insurance, or fake workers’ compensation insurance, usually costs much less than the real insurance but leaves the employer open to being sued by an injured employee. Many Texas employers opt for the fake workers’ compensation insurance in order to save money and take their chances on being sued if an employee is hurt while on the job.
Texas businesses that choose not to subscribe to a real workers’ compensation insurance plan are referred to as “nonsubscribers.” Many Texas nonsubscriber employers carry other accident insurance plans, reimbursement policies, or stop-loss insurance policies to protect themselves against employee work injury claims. In order to be fully compensated, it is often necessary for injured Texas workers to file a lawsuit or claim against their nonsubscriber employer for their work injuries. Due to the legal complexities involved with work injury cases, it is recommended that you seek advice from one of our work injury lawyers regarding the specifics of your claim. We also highly recommend that you do not speak to any insurance company before talking to us, so we can protect you from the ways in which insurance companies gather evidence to deny your claim.
Responsibilities of Texas Employers
Texas employers have a duty to maintain a safe workplace. This includes obeying all safety regulations and providing necessary safety equipment and training in order to keep employees safe. In addition to Texas state safety regulations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires Texas employers to meet certain safety standards in order to provide a safe workplace. Unfortunately, many companies and employers disregard occupational safety laws, resulting in serious work accidents.
Examples of Texas Work Injuries
Our law firm handles serious Texas work injury cases such as those involving head trauma, brain injury, spinal injury, burns, amputation, blindness, etc. We also represent families who have lost a loved one due to a fatal work accident by filing a wrongful death claim against the employer or another responsible party. Serious work injuries may result from a multitude of workplace hazards, including but not limited to:
- Exposure to toxic materials
- Electrocution
- Explosions
- Equipment accidents
- Defective tools and machinery
- Oilfield injuries
- Falls at the workplace
- Maritime accidents
- Defective or missing safety devices
- OSHA violations
- Operator negligence
- Improperly trained employees
- Construction accidents
Work Injury Claims against Employers or Responsible Third Parties
In addition to claims you may have against a nonsubscriber employer, you may also have claims against another third party such as an equipment manufacturer, subcontractor, architect, engineer, or co-employee. If your work injury was caused by the negligence of a third party, you may file a lawsuit against them for damages even if your employer offers real workers’ compensation insurance. The types of claims you may bring include past and future medical bills, past and future pain and suffering, past and future physical impairment, past and future loss of earning capacity or lost wages, loss of household services, scarring and disfigurement.
Contact the Texas Work Injury Lawyers at Tate Law Offices
At Tate Law Offices, we understand the challenges faced by work injury victims. We do not charge any fees for our legal services unless we recover a settlement or win a jury verdict in your favor. We have extensive experience handling nonsubscriber and third-party work injury claims and lawsuits in Texas. If you have suffered an on-the-job work injury, call Tate Law Offices today for a free legal consultation. We have offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, and we represent clients anywhere in the state of Texas. Call us at 888-223-3461 to speak to one of our skilled work injury lawyers.
