Some professions are notorious for being dangerous, but even “safe” jobs can result in serious and debilitating personal injuries. Some of the most common causes of workplace injuries – falls, over-exertion, bodily reaction, auto accidents and repetitive motion – can happen just about anywhere.
If you were injured on the job, you are most likely entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
South Carolina workers’ comp covers not only 100 percent of the cost of your medical treatments, but it can also pay you disability benefits if your injury forces you to miss work. It can even reimburse you for mileage incurred in going to the doctor’s office or the pharmacy.
Contact Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Today
Our workers’ comp attorneys at Joye Law Firm can help you deal with the complex process of securing the benefits you deserve for a workplace injury or occupational disease. Respect, compassion and care are what you can expect from our lawyers and staff from the first time you contact us until your case is resolved. It is one of our firm’s client commitments that we return all our client’s phone calls within 24 hours or one business day.
Since 1968 we have helped injured people like you recover not just the money they are entitled to, but also their lives. Let us help you too. Call Joye Law Firm. You can reach us at (888) 324-3100 or fill out an online form for a free case review.
Joye Law Firm has offices in Charleston, Clinton and Myrtle Beach, but our workers’ compensation attorneys are ready to take care of your case anywhere in South Carolina. We represent clients all over our state, including Florence, Richland County, Orangeburg, Columbia, Horry County (including Conway and North Myrtle Beach), North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville.
Experience Counts
Our workers’ compensation attorneys at Joye Law Firm are committed to our clients. With nearly 250 years of combined litigation experience, multiple South Carolina attorneys at Joye Law Firm have received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and several have been recognized as Super Lawyers.
While every case is different, and past results are in no way intended to guarantee that a similar result can be obtained in another case, past results obtained by a law firm are an indication of the firm’s experience when it comes to serious injury and wrongful death cases. For more details about the workers’ compensation results obtained for previous Joye Law Firm clients, please click on the Results tab on our home page.
Common Types of Workplace Injuries
About 3.3 million Americans are injured at work every year, and another 5,000 or so lose their lives due to workplace accidents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Liberty Mutual, an insurance company, estimates that these incidents result in around $53 billion in workers’ compensation payments each year, or more than $1 billion per week.
Many of the most common causes of workplace injuries and occupational diseases are not necessarily associated with ultra-hazardous jobs, although dangerous working conditions are responsible for a significant portion of on-the-job injuries and deaths.
Here are some of the more common workplace injuries that could entitle you to South Carolina workers’ compensation benefits:
- Over-exertion – The top cause of workplace injuries, overexertion includes injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying and throwing. According to the 2010 Workplace Safety Index, overexertion cases were responsible for $13.4 billion in workers’ compensation claims nationwide.
- Falls – Whether on the same level or from a higher level, falls are a leading cause of workplace injuries. They accounted for more than a quarter of all workers’ compensation payments in Liberty Mutual’s Workplace Safety Index. Falls on the same level include tripping or slipping on a flat surface, while falls from a higher level include falls from an elevated place like a ladder, stairs or a rooftop.
- Being struck by an object – This category includes injuries caused by objects dropping from above or swinging through the air. Some typical scenarios include heavy items falling off of a shelf in a warehouse or store, or a tool or hardware dropping from above in a factory or at a construction site.
- Mental injuries – Psychological problems brought on by exceptionally stressful workplace events can support a claim for workers’ comp benefits under certain circumstances. South Carolina law requires claimants who have suffered mental injuries with no accompanying physical injuries to show that the conditions that caused the mental injury were “extraordinary and unusual in comparison to the normal conditions of the particular employment.” They must also prove causation with medical evidence.
- Bodily reaction – These types of workplace injuries happen when someone gets hurt without making contact with anything else. Some examples include injuries caused by bending, climbing, reaching, standing, sitting or slipping or tripping without falling. This category of injuries was the third most costly in the Workplace Safety Index, accounting for $5.4 billion in workers’ compensation claims.
- Auto accidents – Work-related highway incidents are one of the top 10 workplace injuries. Even if you aren’t a professional commercial driver, on-the-job car accidents could still entitle you to benefits if your travel was work-related and not part of your normal commute. This type of accident is the top cause of workplace fatalities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Getting caught in or compressed by something – These types of accidents usually happen in a setting where heavy machinery is in use, such as factories or construction sites. The injuries typically happen when a worker gets caught in a piece of equipment or a heavy object crushes someone. While less frequent than other types of workplace injuries, these accidents can be devastating.
- Repetitive motion – Carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis are common examples of this type of workplace injury. These conditions develop over time instead of appearing after a single, isolated mishap at work, and are compensable under South Carolina workers’ compensation law.
- Striking an object – This type of injury occurs when someone accidentally runs into something solid, like a door, wall or piece of furniture. The Workplace Safety Index showed that this category was responsible for $2.25 billion in workers’ compensation claims in one year.
- Violence – Any sort of workplace violence or attack, whether at the hands of a co-worker or someone else, falls into this category. Fortunately, this type of workplace injury is much rarer than others, but on-the-job violence can and does happen even in South Carolina.
Contact Our South Carolina Workers’ Comp Lawyers Today
If you’ve been injured in a South Carolina workplace accident, you can trust our attorneys to work to get you the money and benefits you are entitled to.
Call Joye Law Firm at (888) 324-3100 or fill out our free online case evaluation form.
