Work-related paralysis can significantly impact your quality of life and indefinitely force you out of work. While you may have the right to workers’ compensation benefits and grounds for pursuing other legal action, the process of filing a claim and pursuing your options can be confusing and time-consuming.
Don’t try to do it on your own – instead, seek guidance from a Florence paralysis injury attorney with Jebaily Law Firm.
Our firm has been helping injured South Carolinians for more than five decades, which gives us the experience, skill, and reputation you can trust during this difficult time. We can help you file a workers’ compensation claim and potentially a lawsuit against any liable third parties. We won’t charge you any fees unless we win your case.
Contact our Florence paralysis lawyers for a free consultation, and let’s get to work on your claims today.
What Is Work-Related Paralysis?
Work-related paralysis refers to the loss of function or feeling in a part of the body resulting from a work-related injury. Types of paralysis that affect workers in South Carolina include:
- Monoplegia – This type of paralysis impacts a single limb, such as a leg or arm. Monoplegia is often associated with localized nerve and muscle damage.
- Hemiplegia – This type of paralysis affects one side of the body. Injured workers often experience the feeling of pins and needles before the complete loss of use on either side of their body.
- Paraplegia – This type of paralysis affects the lower body and is usually permanent. Spinal cord damage is the most common cause of paraplegia.
- Quadriplegia – Also known as tetraplegia, this is the most extensive type of paralysis, affecting both arms and both legs. In many cases, individuals with quadriplegia lose the ability to use any part of the body from the neck down. Like paraplegia, it is often permanent and results from spinal cord damage.
If you have suffered any of these types of paralysis as the result of a workplace injury, you may have the right to workers’ compensation to pay for your medical care and replacement of a portion of your lost wages. In some situations, you could be entitled to seek more extensive compensation through a third-party personal injury claim against someone other than your employer and co-workers who were responsible for your paralyzing injury.
Causes of Paralysis in Florence Workplace Accidents
Many types of workplace accidents can cause paralysis. Examples include:
- Heavy equipment accidents
- Machinery accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Explosions
- Excavation collapses
- Falls from heights like ladders and scaffolds
- Slip and fall accidents
- Violence
This is not an exhaustive list. Regardless of the cause of your injury, it is best to seek guidance from our work-related paralysis lawyer in Florence, SC, right away.
Who Could Be Responsible for a Paralysis Compensation Claim?
Most employers in South Carolina must purchase workers’ compensation insurance, which covers employees who are injured on the job, regardless of who was at fault. In exchange for providing this insurance, employers also enjoy broad protections from lawsuits filed against them by employees. So, if you’ve suffered a paralyzing injury while at work, you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, but you probably can’t sue your employer.
However, if someone other than your employer or fellow employees caused your injury, you could have grounds for a lawsuit against that third party. For example, a manufacturer may be responsible for injuries caused by defective equipment it produced, while a non-employer subcontractor who left their equipment lying around could be liable if someone tripped over it.
Types of Compensation Claims for Work-Related Paralysis
If you’ve developed work-related paralysis, there are two primary types of legal action injured employees could pursue: filing a claim for workers’ compensation benefits and filing a personal injury lawsuit.
If you are a covered employee, you are likely entitled to the following benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance:
- Medical expenses – Workers’ compensation will pay the medical bills and rehabilitation costs for all necessary and reasonable treatments.
- Lost wages – You can receive up to two-thirds of your average weekly wages, subject to a cap.
- Vocational rehabilitation – If you cannot return to your old job but can work in a different capacity, workers’ comp will pay to retrain you for another job.
- Disability benefits – In addition to lost wages, you may be entitled to permanent disability benefits, the size and duration of which depend on your degree of impairment and your pre-injury wages. If you suffer substantial and permanent paralysis, these payments could last for life.
In addition to workers’ compensation benefits, you may be able to file a personal injury case against a party other than your employer who caused your injury. Here are some examples of third parties who could be liable for work-related paralysis:
- The manufacturer of a defective piece of equipment
- A careless motorist who causes a traffic accident
- A negligent contractor or vendor not employed by your employer
A third-party lawsuit can provide you with compensation not provided under workers’ comp, including:
- The total value of your lost income
- Diminished future earning potential
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional and psychological anguish
- Lost quality of life
- Medical treatment
Our experienced Florence paralysis injury lawyers are ready to review your case to determine which options are available to you so you can pursue all the benefits you deserve from every source.
Is There a Statute of Limitations on Paralysis Compensation Claims in Florence, SC?
Workers’ compensation claims must be filed within two years from the date of the accident. However, you must notify your employer of an accident within 90 days.
Personal injury claims filed against third-party defendants must be filed within three years from the date of the accident.
Benefits of Hiring a Paralysis Injury Attorney
Have you been diagnosed with paralysis after a spinal cord injury at work? If so, you deserve full compensation for what you’ve suffered, and you shouldn’t have to pursue compensation on your own. Our legal team can help you by:
- Reviewing your case to determine your options, which could include both a workers’ comp claim and personal injury claims
- Filing your workers’ compensation claim for you and including all necessary supporting documentation
- Representing you at appeals hearings as necessary
- Calculating the value of any third-party injury claims you may have, including by working with medical and accounting experts
- Negotiating settlements with workers’ compensation insurers and liable third parties
- Taking your case to court if the liable parties won’t make a fair offer
Get Help from Our Florence Workplace Paralysis Injury Attorneys Today
The Florence paralysis attorneys at Jebaily Law Firm understand the challenges caused by catastrophic injuries like work-related paralysis. We don’t want you to face them alone. We are committed to helping you pursue legal action against the responsible party. We have a proven track record of getting results for injury victims.
Contact our Florence paralysis law firm for a free case review, and let us pursue the compensation you deserve.
