A construction injury can keep you from doing the physical work your job requires while medical treatment and insurance issues continue. A construction accident lawyer in Villa Park can determine what workers’ compensation benefits apply and whether someone outside your employer may also be responsible for the accident.
Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., has represented injured workers and accident victims since 2002. We handle the legal and insurance issues while keeping you informed about your claim and what comes next.
Choose Charlie. Contact us for a free consultation with a Villa Park workers’ compensation lawyer after an on-the-job injury.
Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Construction Claims
A construction accident may involve two different legal claims. Workers’ compensation provides benefits for qualifying job-related injuries, while a separate personal injury claim may be available when someone other than your employer negligently caused or contributed to the accident.
A Villa Park personal injury lawyer from our firm can investigate whether another contractor, driver, property owner, or business bears responsibility in addition to your workers’ compensation case.
These claims provide different forms of recovery. Workers’ compensation pays benefits established by Illinois law, while a third-party claim may also include damages such as pain and suffering and other losses not covered through the workers’ compensation system.
Common Construction Accidents in Villa Park
Construction work puts employees at risk around heights, moving equipment, electrical systems, unfinished surfaces, and crews from different companies. When site conditions or another contractor’s conduct create an unsafe situation, a worker can suffer a serious injury.
Our Villa Park construction accident lawyers handle cases involving:
- Falls from ladders, scaffolds, roofs, and elevated work areas.
- Falling tools, materials, or debris.
- Forklift and construction vehicle accidents.
- Crane and hoisting incidents.
- Electrical contact and burn injuries.
- Trench and excavation accidents.
- Crushing and caught-between injuries.
- Collisions involving delivery or commercial vehicles.
- Unsafe walking and working surfaces.
- Collapses involving walls, structures, or materials.
The type of accident helps determine what records should be obtained and which companies should be investigated.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits After a Construction Injury
Illinois workers’ compensation generally does not require you to prove that your employer caused the accident. The focus is on whether the injury arose out of and occurred in the course of your employment.
Depending on your medical condition and ability to work, benefits may include several forms of compensation.
Medical Treatment
Workers’ compensation may pay for reasonable and necessary medical care related to your injury, including hospital treatment, physician visits, surgery, medication, physical therapy, and other covered treatment.
Temporary Disability Benefits
If your doctor takes you completely off work while you recover, temporary total disability benefits may replace part of your wages. Different benefits may apply if you return to work but earn less because of accident-related restrictions.
Permanent Disability Benefits
An injury that leaves you with permanent loss of use, restrictions, or disability may support additional compensation. The amount depends on the medical evidence, the nature of the impairment, and other factors under Illinois law.
Vocational Rehabilitation
If you cannot return to your former construction work, vocational rehabilitation may be available in qualifying cases to help you prepare for suitable employment.
A construction accident attorney in Villa Park can review what the insurer is paying and address disputes over benefits or medical treatment.
Reporting a Construction Injury in Illinois
Do not assume that your employer already knows enough about the accident to protect your workers’ compensation rights. Illinois generally requires an employee to give the employer notice of an accident as soon as practicable and no later than 45 days after it occurs.
Notice may be oral or written and should identify the approximate date and place of the accident. When possible, creating a written record can help avoid later disagreements over whether the injury was reported.
After an accident:
- Tell your employer or supervisor what happened.
- Explain where and when you were injured.
- Get appropriate medical treatment.
- Tell your medical providers the injury occurred at work.
- Keep copies of work restrictions and treatment records.
- Preserve any photographs or information you have from the site.
- Write down the names of witnesses.
- Save messages or letters from the workers’ compensation insurer.
Reporting the accident and filing a claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission are separate steps.
Insurance Problems With a Workers’ Compensation Claim
A construction worker can have a legitimate injury and still face resistance from the insurance carrier. Disputes often center on whether treatment is related to the accident or whether the employee is ready to return to work.
You may encounter disagreements over:
- Authorization for medical treatment.
- Temporary disability payments.
- Your average weekly wage.
- Light-duty work.
- Physician restrictions.
- An independent medical examination requested by the insurer.
- The extent of permanent impairment.
- Whether additional treatment is reasonable and necessary.
A denial or suspension of benefits does not necessarily resolve the issue. We can review the medical and employment records and determine what action is available through the Illinois workers’ compensation system.
Deadlines for Illinois Construction Injury Claims
For most accidental injuries, Illinois generally requires notice to your employer within 45 days.
An Application for Adjustment of Claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission generally must be filed within three years of the accident if no compensation has been paid, or within two years of the last compensation payment when payments have been made, whichever date is later. Different rules apply to certain occupational and exposure claims.
A third-party personal injury lawsuit has a separate filing deadline. When a single accident gives rise to both types of claims, our Villa Park construction accident attorneys handle them separately.
Why Choose Our Villa Park Construction Injury Lawyers?
Construction workers need a law firm that understands both the financial pressure of being unable to work and how insurance carriers handle injury claims. Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., combines more than 75 years of legal experience with a client-service approach built around accessibility.
When you work with our firm, you can expect:
- More than $100 million recovered for clients.
- Direct attention from a boutique injury firm.
- Responsive communication when you need an update or have a question.
- Help dealing with workers’ compensation and liability insurers.
- Electronic options for submitting documents and communicating with us.
- Relationships with medical providers who may treat qualifying patients on liens.
- Free consultations, including Zoom meetings.
- Contingency-fee representation for eligible claims.
Our founding partner previously worked on the insurance side with Allstate. We use that background when evaluating how insurers handle a claim, when questioning an injury, or when assessing a request for compensation.
Talk to a Construction Accident Attorney in Villa Park
If a construction injury is keeping you off the job, limiting the work you can perform, or creating disputes with an insurer, we can review the available claims and explain what Illinois law provides.
Contact Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C. for a free consultation with a construction accident attorney in Villa Park. We can determine whether your case involves workers’ compensation, a third-party claim, or both and discuss how to proceed.
