Charlotte Meat Packing Industry Workers Injury Lawyer

Workers in the meat packing industry are at risk for a number of workplace injuries. Processing plants expose workers to a fast-paced environment with heavy machinery, hazardous substances, and challenging tasks. If you have been hurt in a meat packing-related injury, you should get in touch with a Charlotte meat packing industry workers’ injury lawyer right away. It is important that you understand your rights and get fair compensation for any injuries you suffered while on the job.

Understanding your rights will help you to get all the time, resources, and support you need to effectively recover in the event that you get hurt at your job. Your attorney can help review the facts of your case and determine what your options are to protect your rights going forward.

If you are looking for reliable legal support in the wake of a meat packing industry injury, look no further than our dedicated team here at The Bollinger Law Firm, PC. Bobby L. Bollinger Jr. is an experienced attorney who is experienced in workers’ compensation law. He is well-versed in Charlotte’s legal arena and can help you navigate it in order to get what you deserve after an accident.

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Every employer in North Carolina is legally required to have workers’ compensation insurance for their full and part-time employees. This policy protects you if you get hurt at work. North Carolina is considered a “no-fault state,” which means that if you are hurt while you are at your job, you do not need to worry about proving negligence or fault.

Your part is to report your injury to your employer and then complete the Employee’s Notice of Accident to Employer and Claim of Employee Forms. Your employer will then submit an Employer’s Report of Injury form to their insurance carrier. This will kickstart the process of pursuing your workers’ compensation.

A workers’ compensation attorney can be an invaluable asset if you encounter any difficulties while pursuing compensation, like in contacting your employer or if you do not get the amount that you need to cover all of your bills in the wake of your injury.

You can start the process by reaching out to an attorney as soon as you are injured so that they are familiar with your case and walking on your side as you pursue your workers’ compensation. If something goes wrong or your rights are disregarded, your lawyer can help.

What Can You Receive Workers’ Compensation For?

If you are hurt while you are at your meatpacking industry job, you can receive worker’s compensation for a variety of different things. For example, all of the following are typically included under your workers’ compensation: 

• Medical Bills: Getting medical treatment can be expensive, even if you have health insurance. If you have to get tests or procedures done after you are injured at work, your workers’ compensation benefits should cover them for you. It is critical that you get the medical attention you need to keep track of the costs so you can make sure you get the benefits required to attend to them.
• Compensation for Rehabilitation: Unfortunately, you might have an injury that requires you to undergo a long period of rehabilitation. This can be expensive and run up your costs more than just a few doctor’s visits. You are entitled to worker’s compensation benefits that help you address these costs.
• Permanent Disability Benefits: In the tragic event that you become permanently disabled after your injury at work, you are entitled to benefits that compensate for your loss of function. Depending on the extent of your disability, you might not be able to go back to your job or do the same kind of work, so your compensation will usually address this circumstance.
• Lost Income: In some cases, you might not be able to work for a significant period of time while you recover from your work-related injury. If this happens to you, you might be able to recover benefits that cover the income you lost as a result of not being able to go to work.
• Emotional Distress: The state of North Carolina recognizes that you will likely experience some emotional turmoil while you heal from a major injury or if you are learning to adjust to a permanent disability. You are usually entitled to financial coverage that attempts to address this emotional distress and can help you obtain mental health services and more.
• Wrongful Death: Losing a loved one is never easy, and if someone you loved passed away suddenly in a workplace injury, you have a right to pursue compensation. Of course, no amount of money can bring your loved one back to you, but dealing with a loss can be expensive and recovering compensation that helps you in this tune can make your life just a bit easier.

Who Is Exempt From Worker’s Compensation in North Carolina?

There are some people who are not covered by workers’ compensation in Charlotte, NC. For instance, if you are an independent contractor for a company and not a full or part-time employee for them, then you are likely not covered by their workers’ compensation policy.

If you are unsure about your rights and whether or not you have worker’s compensation, your workers’ injury lawyer can help you better understand your situation. If you discover that you are exempt from workers’ compensation, your North Carolina accident attorney can also help you determine what your options are for securing financial benefits that assist you while you work on getting better.

Why Are Meat Packing Industry Workers at Risk for Injuries?

While working in the meat packing industry, you might be exposed to a wide variety of dangerous equipment. Often, the equipment is sharp so that workers can cut and organize inventory, but with such tools comes a great risk of getting hurt. Even if all of the machinery is running properly, there is still a high risk of injury in such fast-paced, loud, and hectic environments.

When you have a lot of responsibilities on your plate, and there is a lot going on in the area, a small mistake might result in a painful injury. For instance, lifting heavy equipment or inventory can result in a quick, life-changing injury.

If you work in the meat packing industry, then you might also have to work in abnormal conditions. For example, some workers in this industry have to work in cold environments that are intended to keep meats refrigerated and fresh. Working in such temperatures can increase your risk of slipping and hurting yourself, as well as developing weather-related conditions like frostbite if you are not properly keeping yourself warm.

What Should You Do After a Meat Packing Industry Injury?

If you have been hurt in a meat packing-related injury, it is vital that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. If you are in an emergency situation, do not worry about finishing your shift or documenting the scene; get help as soon as you can. Even if you do not think the injury is severe, you should still get medical attention so that a professional can document what happened to you.

It is also important to remember that the more detailed documentation you have on your injury and how it was related to work, the stronger your case for getting the compensation you need to address it.

If your medical condition permits you to stay around the scene, you should take note of critical details so you can fill your lawyer in later. For instance, if there was something wrong with the materials or the equipment near you that resulted in your injury, this is important to note. You also want to take note of anyone who might have witnessed what happened and talk to them about what they saw.

Sometimes, you might suffer a medical condition as a result of work in the meatpacking industry, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. In such a case, you might not need emergency medical attention. However, you should still go to a doctor as soon as there are symptoms that are negatively impacting your life. Having medical documentation of your injury and a medical professional’s opinion on the circumstances surrounding it are vital to pursuing worker’s compensation.

What Should You Do After Seeking Medical Attention?

After you have received medical attention, you should alert your employer about what happened. In order to get workers’ compensation benefits, your layer has to know what happened so that they can inform their insurance. It is also important that you tell your employer what happened to you so that they can look into the details surrounding your situation and address any problems that might be making the workplace unsafe for other employees.

Even if there was nothing wrong and it was an accident, your employer can learn from your situation and try to use warnings or extra protections so that such an accident does not happen again in the future.

It is also in your interest to consult with a workers’ compensation attorney about your case. While you might think that you can go through this alone, sometimes you might not get everything you need from your workers’ compensation benefits. In some cases, you might even find that your rights are violated or disrespected as you pursue your compensation.

Dealing with such a confusing, stressful situation at the same time that you are trying to deal with the physical and emotional impact of an injury is too much for one person.

Why Do You Need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney?

If you were hurt in an injury at a meatpacking job, you can reduce your stress as you heal by relying on an experienced attorney to make sure your rights are protected at this time. From helping you as you contact your employer to assisting you in collecting your medical records and other relevant evidence, your workers’ compensation lawyer will draw on their experience to make sure that you leave no stone unturned in pursuing compensation.

In addition to guiding you through the normal process of pursuing workers’ compensation benefits, your attorney can also assist you in dealing with the unforeseen consequences of your injury. For instance, you might encounter retaliation from your employer if you file a worker’s compensation claim. This can look like getting fired or getting demoted after requesting benefits.

Your employer does not have the right to any form of retaliation, and your lawyer will make sure that the appropriate actions are taken if this happens to you.

Your attorney can also help you understand what to do in the event that your request for workers’ compensation is denied. This can happen for several reasons, such as insufficient evidence and more. Sometimes, the court misunderstands or misinterprets evidence or makes a mistake. In such a case, your workers’ compensation attorney can push for an appeal so that your case is examined again and you have another shot at securing your compensation.

The same type of help in negotiation goes for dealing with insurance companies, who do not always have your interests at heart. If an insurance company is trying to minimize your injury or refusing to pay you what you deserve, your lawyer can fight for you so that you do not have to deal with that level of stress while you recover.

Get a Fierce Worker’s Injury Attorney on Your Case Today

When you are recovering from a serious injury, the last thing you need to deal with is the stress of dealing with complex legal processes all on your own. You should hire a knowledgeable lawyer who can take the load off of your plate.

Bobby Bollinger Jr. has years of experience standing up for workers who have been injured in Charlotte, North Carolina. If you were injured at work as a meatpacker or in another industry, and need assistance pursuing worker’s compensation, Bobby has got your back. Contact The Bollinger Law Firm, PC, today to get a consultation about your case.