I’m Mike Ritchie, a lawyer with the Ritchie Law Firm. In today’s video, I am talking about Virginia workers’ compensation cases. I am often asked, for someone who is injured on the job, what injuries are covered by Virginia Workers’ Compensation?
Video Transcription
What injuries are covered under Virginia Workers’ Comp?
Any injury that occurs by an accident is covered under Virginia Workers’ Comp as long as it occurs in the course of your employment. What that means is that the injury has to be a mechanical change in your body and it has to occur as a result of a sudden event or accident. For example, at the end of the day from working, your back is sore. That’s not covered under workers’ comp. But, if you lift a cinder block and you feel an immediate onset of pain during the lifting of the cinder block, that would be covered under workers’ comp.
The primary things that workers’ comp covers are injuries that occur as a result of an accident. And what workers’ comp defines injuries as is a mechanical change in your body. And, an accident is a sudden event. So, when you are reporting your accident, you need to make sure that you describe exactly what you were doing at the time that you first felt the pain. That’s the way that will ensure that what you described is an injury by accident.
In the video I said that your accident has to happen “in the course of your employment” for it to be covered by workman’s comp. This basically just means that the accident happened during your working hours, while you were working, and while your employer had some “control” over your actions. Employers will sometimes fight about whether an accident happened in the course of employment. If that happens to you, it is important to have a lawyer who can help you fight that battle. There are many legal issues involved in these fights and it’s important that you have a lawyer who handles a lot of workers’ comp cases to help you.
I also talked about accurately describing your accident so you can beat back the problem that we see with many claims of whether an injury was an “injury by accident.” Again, how you describe your injury to your supervisor and on your initial claim paperwork from the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission is very important. But, if you’ve already filed the initial paperwork and your employer is denying your claim because they say you didn’t have an injury by accident, that doesn’t necessarily mean your claim is lost. BUT, it does mean that you need a lawyer to help you get your workers’ comp benefits.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to understand is that if your employer and the insurance company have denied your Virginia Workers’ Compensation claim, you NEED legal help. The employer’s lawyer knows how to defeat claims. Defeating claims saves the insurance company money, so of course, that’s their game. Even if you don’t hire our team to help you, get yourself a lawyer who regularly handles workers’ comp cases to help you. An attorney who doesn’t handle workers’ comp often will not be well equipped to help.
Talk To An Experienced Virginia Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
If you have questions about how to describe your work injury or any other questions about your Virginia Workers’ Comp claim (such as whether you can recover for pain and suffering), it is wise to contact a lawyer for some advice.
If you’ve been injured on the job, it is helpful to talk to a lawyer who is experienced in workers’ compensation claims. At the Ritchie Law Firm, you can talk to us for FREE . . . NO STRINGS ATTACHED! We can give you advice on your claim before you make a decision that could damage your case. Check out our article on “How Much Does a Workers’ Comp Lawyer Cost” here.
At the Ritchie Law Firm, we have successfully handled thousands of workers’ compensation claims. We’ve seen injured workers who have trusted the insurance adjuster only to find out that their time to file the paperwork to protect their claim had expired.
Virginia Workers’ compensation is a complex system that can be very difficult to navigate. Be very careful to make certain that your rights are protected before you sign anything. Talking to our workers’ comp lawyers about your claim is free. If we take your case, we don’t get a fee unless we win your case. There is no risk to you to get some information about your case before you make any decision that might negatively affect its outcome.
For more than 45 years, the Ritchie Law Firm has successfully helped thousands of injured workers navigate the complex workers’ compensation process. The Ritchie Law Firm specializes in serving injury victims. We never represent insurance ompanies or corporations. If your workers’ compensation case is going to hearing, you will want a trial expert on your side. We are board certified trial specialists through the National Board of Trial Advocacy. The attorney you choose for your workers’ compensation case can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. Choose wisely. . . you can talk to us for free. Call today 800-277-6124 or fill out the form below. Ritchie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm devoted to helping individuals who have suffered serious injuries as a result of a job injury.
Ritchie Law Firm serves injured workers in all of Virginia while helping clients in cities and surrounding areas of Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Staunton, and Winchester. Check out case studies from some of the cases we’ve handled by clicking here.