What Injuries Are Covered by Workers’ Compensation in Charlotte?

Charlotte employees often suffer work-related injuries and diseases, which is what workers’ compensation deals with. These wounds can have severe impacts on their working and earning capacity. Therefore, North Carolina enacted its workers’ compensation laws to protect the workers from these negative effects. So, if a Charlotte employee suffers on-the-job accidents, workers’ comp will provide compensatory benefits, at least until they can work again.

However, North Carolina workers’ comp law doesn’t compensate for all injuries and diseases. In addition, there are conditions an injury must satisfy to fall under workers’ comp. so, if you’ve suffered a work injury in Charlotte, it’ll be best to speak to a Charlotte workers’ compensation attorney. A good lawyer can evaluate your case and determine if you deserve benefits.

What Injuries Merit Workers’ Compensation in Charlotte?

We discuss some of the conditions and injuries that fall under Charlotte’s workers’ comp below.

The Course of Employment

Firstly, to receive comp benefits, you must have sustained your injury while in the course of employment. For instance, a truck driver will receive compensation if they had an accident and lost their leg while delivering the company’s goods. However, where the driver was driving for their pleasure, they won’t be entitled to compensation.

Furthermore, your injury has to be from an accident. This requirement means that the injury wouldn’t result from an occurrence normally expected during your employment. For instance, a leg sprain you sustain while lifting loads that you carry every day at work wouldn’t be compensable in Charlotte.

What Specific Injuries Are Covered by Workers’ Compensation?

Any severe or minor injury you sustain while working in Charlotte can qualify you for workers’ compensation. Examples of such wounds include:

• Loss of limb
• Hearing and sight loss
• Head and facial disfigurement
• Internal and external organ injuries
• Hernia rupture

North Carolina’s workers’ comp law doesn’t limit injuries to just bodily wounds. Compensable injuries also include damage to eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, and other prosthetic devices that have become part of the body. Moreover, eyeglasses and hearing aids will only be replaced or repaired if they were destroyed because of a compensable injury.

Back Injuries

Back wounds are quite tricky in Charlotte. To be compensable, they must:

• Occur in the course of employment, and
• Be the direct result of a specific traumatic experience.

Thus, this would now include every disabling back injury that satisfies both conditions. Another peculiar injury is carpal tunnel syndrome. Charlotte workers’ comp doesn’t always cover carpal tunnel syndrome. You’ll have to prove that your job increased your risk of having the syndrome to recover compensation.

What if the Injury Was My Fault?

If your injury satisfies the other qualifications above, it doesn’t matter that it was your fault. This is because Charlotte’s workers’ compensation isn’t fault-based. However, you’ll lose your right to benefits if you intentionally inflicted the job accident on yourself. Furthermore, if you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you will lose any benefits. However, if your employer or their agent supplied the intoxicating substance, they’ll have to pay you compensation.

Note that if an employee disobeys safety rules and regulations, this can reduce their compensation. Conversely, if the business owner breached the rules, it can increase the worker’s recovery amount. Finally, there are cases where your injury was the fault of a third party. Here, North Carolina law will cover your work injury, but you can also sue the third party for damages.

Reporting Your Injury

Finally, you have to notify your employer of your accident and wounds. North Carolina law requires that you notify your employer of your injuries within thirty days from the injury date. You must send written notification. So, if you don’t inform the business owner of the existence of your wound, you may lose your right to compensation. Here, it wouldn’t matter if workers’ comp laws already cover your injury.

Charlotte’s Best Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Can Help You!

Have you been injured while working in Charlotte? Are you unsure as to whether you deserve benefits? If you answer these two questions in the affirmative, you need a Charlotte workers’ compensation lawyer from Waple & Houk, PLLC. Generally, you don’t need an attorney for all workers’ comp issues. However, whether your injury is compensable goes to the very root of your claim.

So, it’ll be best to hire the best available lawyers. Furthermore, our lawyers have many years of experience helping wounded Charlotte employees. Therefore, we can easily tell if an injury deserves compensation. This is the experience we will bring to your case if you engage our services. So, why not make that call today?