After a Work Injury in Houston - Next Steps for Victims & Their Families

You deserve the safest possible environment where you work. You trust your employers and coworkers to keep your workplace safe, but this trust can be shattered in an instant when you suffer a work-related injury. Sometimes, a devastating accident occurs even despite everyone’s best efforts.

In Houston, the most dangerous occupations include sanitation work, trucking, construction, and oilfield work. Whether you’re injured performing one of these services or within another industry, the Texas personal injury attorneys at Carabin Shaw help you and your family receive the necessary financial support. Their expertise can serve you at any step after your on-the-job injury.

To ensure that you receive workers’ compensation benefits, it’s important that you report your work injury to your employer within 30 days. You also need to complete the required forms for the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) within one year. Although the Texas Department of Insurance outlines these steps, they can quickly become complicated.

Your employer also has certain responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). For example, an employer must report a hospitalization or loss of limb due to a work accident within 24 hours. Fatalities must be reported within eight hours.

An attorney ensures that you understand your rights and responsibilities under the law so that you’re empowered to seek compensation. Legal representation is especially important if your employer or their insurance company isn’t acting according to your best interests.

Receiving immediate medical attention is critical. With severe injuries, this attention can save your life or prevent future complications. But there are a few other reasons for the urgency of this step after a work injury in Houston:

• A treatment plan is necessary for legal actions or workers’ compensation.
• Medical records are important documentation for strong workers’ comp claims and decision appeals.
• A record of care helps your legal team enumerate damages in a lawsuit.
• Medical professionals who care for you can provide convincing witness testimony for appeals and settlements.

A strong team like the one at Carabin Shaw can apply their legal knowledge to help you schedule appointments with the best medical professionals for your recovery and your case.

Although you might need to attend to some matters more urgently, you should also consider contacting a lawyer as soon as possible. At Carabin Shaw, your case review and initial consultation are free. To receive a detailed review of your case, call 800-862-1260. The number is toll free, and our staff can speak with you on any day and at any time of day in Spanish or English.

A work injury or fatality might be one of the most traumatic experiences in your life. Your family might also struggle with life after a severe injury (or a fatality). Carabin Shaw’s client reviews can help you understand all the ways our team can serve you and your loved ones, from offering quick answers to your questions to securing fair compensation.

Available benefits and possible damages are unique to each situation. If your employer offers workers’ compensation, which isn’t required in Texas, you can receive certain benefits for medical bills and lost wages; your family is also able to receive death and funeral benefits after a fatality.

Although insurance offers some benefits, a lawsuit can result in the recovery of different, often greater, damages. For instance, a favorable lawsuit settlement could provide compensation for mental anguish in addition to medical bills for physical injuries. Some legal actions might not be possible for your circumstances; however, a legal expert finds avenues for justice that might not be immediately apparent to you.

By hiring a Carabin Shaw work injury lawyer in Houston, Texas, you learn more about the benefits and damages you’re entitled to. Our team knows that high-quality legal services ensure financial and emotional support for your healing process.