Moreno Valley Work Injury Attorneys

You work hard for a living and you deserve all the protection afforded by law in the event that you suffer physical harm while on the job. The law protects workers, in many cases, both in the event of acute trauma caused by accidents and harm that results from repetitive stress, occupational illnesses, and work-related aggravation of preexisting conditions. If you’ve been hurt while on the job, please schedule a confidential, risk-free, no-cost consultation with our firm today. Some of the legal options available to you are time-sensitive, so it’s important to act quickly after being diagnosed with a work-related medical condition or discovering that a medical condition you’re been grappling with for some time is work-related.

Depending on your unique circumstances, you may be entitled to compensation regardless of whether you were totally or partially at fault for the conditions that led to your harm. As a result, it’s important to avoid making assumptions about whether you have any grounds to seek compensation until you’ve spoken with our knowledgeable legal team. Too often, workers presuppose that their work-related medical conditions are simply “the cost of doing business.” In reality, the law protects the vast majority of workers from shouldering financial burdens related to the consequences (medical bills, lost wages, etc.) associated with suffering work-related harm. In short, if you’ve been hurt or you’ve become ill as a result of work-related activities, it is in your interest to schedule a free, confidential case evaluation with our dedicated legal team. Once we’ve assessed your situation, we’ll provide you with legal guidance tailored to your situation so that you can make informed decisions about either taking action or refraining from doing so.

Personalized Legal Guidance for Injured and Ill Workers

Our firm has extensive experience representing the interests of injured and ill workers. We do not rest upon our firm’s reputation for excellence – we aim to earn that reputation again and again by providing client-focused, personalized, compassionate, tenacious, and effective representation to every injured worker who seeks out our comprehensive legal services. Our firm offers consultations for free and with no strings attached because every injured worker deserves to understand their rights under the law, regardless of their ability to pay for legal guidance. We understand that if you’ve been injured on the job, your livelihood may have been compromised and may even be at stake. Know that if you schedule a consultation with our team, you and your case will be treated with nothing less than the utmost respect that you and your case deserve.

Are You Eligible for Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

If you are unsure of whether you’re eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits related to your injuries or occupational illness, that’s okay. Our firm will be happy to clarify your eligibility for you. Chances are good that you’re entitled to workers’ comp benefits if you are classified as a full-time or part-time employee and you don’t work for an unusually small company. Businesses that only employ a handful of workers are often exempt from workers’ compensation coverage, as are some specialty industries (including much of the maritime industry and the railroad industry). By contrast, if you’ve been properly classified as an independent contractor, you are ineligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. However, if you’ve been intentionally or unintentionally misclassified as an independent contractor by the company that you provide work-related services for, you may remain entitled to benefits. This is a complex and context-sensitive area of law, which is one of the many reasons why it can be helpful to connect with an experienced attorney as soon as you can after you’ve been injured while engaged in work-related activities.

Unlike the personal injury claims process, the workers’ compensation process isn’t fault-based. This means that unless you were drunk, high, injuring yourself on purpose, or harmed after starting an altercation, you should be able to successfully file a workers’ compensation claim regardless of why you were hurt or whose fault your injurious circumstances were.

Can You File a Personal Injury Claim?

While fault doesn’t usually matter in re: the workers’ compensation process, it is the foundation of the personal injury claims process. For a work-related personal injury action to succeed, you’ll need to prove that an individual, business, or other legal entity was legally bound to treat you with a specific degree of care. You’ll then need to prove that the responsible party failed to uphold that duty when they engaged in reckless, negligent, or intentionally dangerous conduct. You’ll also need to prove that your injuries resulted directly – in part or completely – as a result of that failure to uphold the duty of care to which you were owed. If you are unsure of whether your situation meets these fundamental personal injury criteria, we can clarify that for you during your free consultation.

Note that if you’re eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits, you can file a personal injury claim against any negligent, reckless, or intentionally dangerous party that contributed to the cause of your harm except your employer. The workers’ compensation system protects employers covered by this insurance scheme from being sued by their employees who have suffered physical harm while engaging in work-related activities.

Did Your Injury Result from an Accident or Due to Repetitive Trauma?

If your harm resulted from an onsite accident witnessed by coworkers, it will be beneficial for you to work with our team in order to better ensure that your workers’ compensation claim is fairly valued and paid promptly. However, if your harm resulted from repetitive trauma, exposure to toxic substances over a period of time, aggravation of a preexisting condition, or an acute injury sustained away from a traditional job site or you were injured while driving for the company, it is particularly imperative that you connect with our legal team as soon as you possibly can.

When workers’ compensation claims adjusters begin investigating an individual’s claim, they seek to determine whether the injuries or illness in question resulted solely from work-related activity. If they determine that lifestyle choices or other forces caused the medical condition being scrutinized, they may devalue or reject the injured worker’s claim. If your harm didn’t occur as a result of a one-time accident witnessed by coworkers, it will be relatively easy for a claims adjuster to assert that your harm was caused by non-work-related influences. If this happens, you may receive less compensation than the amount to which you’re rightfully entitled or your claim could be rejected outright.

Working with an experienced attorney right from the start can be significantly beneficial if you’re dealing with a non-accident claim or an accident claim related to harm that occurred away from a traditional jobsite. Our experienced legal team knows how to successfully support potentially complex claims with adequate evidence. We also know how to communicate effectively with claims adjusters so that our clients’ legitimate claims aren’t unreasonably devalued, rejected, or delayed.

Why Timing Your Claim(s) Is Important

In California, injured employees are required to report their work-related harm to their employers within 30 days if they plan to file a workers’ compensation claim. Meaning, if you were harmed in an accident, you must report your injuries within 30 days or you may be barred from receiving workers’ compensation benefits. Similarly, if you suffered harm as a result of an occupational illness, work-related aggravation of a preexisting condition, or repetitive trauma, you’re required to report your harm within 30 days of discovering your condition and learning that it was work-related or you may be barred from receiving workers’ compensation.

Additionally, if you plan to file a personal injury claim, the law only allows you a specific amount of time to pursue legal action before you’ll be barred from doing so. The sooner you act to preserve your legal options, the better. Waiting too long can sink your case before you’ve even had a chance to file it.

Retaliation-Related Concerns

Many injured and ill workers refrain from seeking the compensation to which they are entitled because they are concerned that reporting their harm and/or seeking compensation would cause their employers to retaliate against them. It is important to understand that retaliating against an employee – whether that individual is documented or undocumented – is illegal under both federal and state law. With that said, our firm would never diminish the real fear that many workers feel when thinking about exploring their legal options. Know that all of our consultations are strictly confidential. Speaking with our team will not obligate you to take action or to report your harm. You can explore your legal options in the strictest of confidence. In the event that you do choose to take action, we’ll do everything we can to protect you from retaliation and to hold your employer accountable if your company’s management violates the law and retaliates against you in any way for exercising your rights.

Work-Safety Concerns

If you were injured as a result of unsafe working conditions, you may benefit from working with our team to submit an anonymous request to have the Occupational Safety and Health Administration conduct a work site safety inspection. OSHA conducts on-site safety inspections of American workplaces all the time, without warning. As a result, there would be no reason for your employer to reasonably suspect that the inspection occurred because you anonymously requested it. If your worksite is inspected and your employer is penalized for subjecting workers to unsafe conditions, your anonymous request may help to inspire real change on behalf of both you and your coworkers.

When Work-Related Injuries Result in Death

If your loved one passed away due to work-related injuries or occupational illness, please contact our firm today to explore your eligibility for workers’ compensation death benefits. If your loved one was eligible for workers’ compensation coverage at the time they were harmed and they died due to work-related harm, you may be entitled to significant compensation paid in installments. Eligibility for these benefits is not fault-based. With that said, if your loved one did not die as a result of acute injuries caused by a worksite accident, your claim may be challenging to prove. However, our firm has extensive experience with these types of claims and we will do everything in our power to ensure that you and your family receive any and all compensation to which you may be entitled.

Contact Our Firm Today for a Free Case Evaluation

By exploring your legal options as quickly as you can, you’ll better ensure that all legal options applicable to your situation remain viable options for you to take advantage of. If you wait even a few weeks to explore your legal options, you may be barred from receiving certain kinds of compensation to which you’d be otherwise entitled. Invest an hour or two of your time today in attending a free, risk-free, and confidential case evaluation appointment. Doing so will allow you to ask questions, raise concerns, and receive legal guidance tailored uniquely for your situation. We look forward to meeting with you.