When workplaces are not safe, accidents can happen. These accidents can easily lead to workplace injuries for employees. Beyond being dangerous, workplace accidents can be costly to employees. If a New York employee is seriously injured, that employee may be out of work for an extended amount of time and thereby lose wages. Furthermore, the employee likely sought medical attention which can very easily accumulate into medical debt.
Thankfully, injured workers have options available to them so they do not have to pay these expenses. Workers’ compensation will often cover expenses that employees incur when they are injured at work. These expenses can include lost wages, medical costs, rehabilitation costs and, in some cases, pain and suffering.
However, New York workers are not only restricted to workers’ compensation claims. If negligence played a role in the workplace accident, the injured worker can also file suit against the negligent party to receive compensation.
One injured New York worker recently received a large settlement after choosing this route. In this case, a man was working at a real estate development in New York in 2009. While working, his hand got stuck in a machine. The part where his hand was caught had been left unguarded. As a result of this injury, the man lost part of one of his thumbs.
In 2010, after the accident, the man brought a lawsuit against his employer, the developer and several other parties claiming that they were negligent. All of the parties have recently announced that they have settled the case.
In the settlement, the injured worker will get $1.5 million in compensation for his injury. This money will hopefully help this man live a life free of any negative financial consequences from this workplace injury.
Source: The Journal News, “Injured worker gets $1.5 million” Erik Shilling, Aug. 2, 2012