Practice Areas

Workers' Compensation

If you have been injured at work, you may be entitled to Workers' Compensation benefits. Generally, the availability of Workers' Compensation benefits depends, not on whether you or someone else is at fault for causing the accident or injury, but on whether you were injured while performing the regular duties of your job. If you are found eligible for Workers' Compensation benefits, you will be compensated, as least in part, for your lost or reduced wages resulting from the injury, as well as for medical expenses.

Some work-related injuries arise from specific accidents, often referred to as "industrial accidents," such as a fall from a ladder or scaffold, a motor vehicle accident while driving or riding in a company car or truck, or machine accident. In some cases, however, a work-related disability may arise gradually as the result of repetitive motion causing repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome from operating a particular machine using the same movements over and over again. These types of injuries are often called "industrial diseases."

If it is determined that the initial injury is covered by Workers' Compensation, you will also be covered for any additional injuries or conditions that arise out of the work-related injury, such as chronic pain syndromes or complications from work-related surgery.

Port employees and dock workers, such as those employed at the Port of Charleston, who suffer a work related injury may be covered under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, which provides benefits similar to those offered under the Workers' Compensation Act for lost or reduced wages and medical expenses.

Both the Workers' Compensation Law and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act follow specific and unique procedural rules. Because we have handled these types of cases before, the attorneys at Richard Wern Lawyers know what to look for, what special facts or circumstances may be important, and how to provide quality, reliable representation for our clients. Put our experience to work for you and contact us today.