Florida’s Workers’ Compensation Law: A Guide for Injured Workers

Perhaps you work in an industry that is prone to workplace accidents or you work in one that does not report as many each year. Regardless of the industry you are employed, if you are injured at work in Florida, you have rights. Being injured while doing your job can be not only physically painful but also emotionally challenging as you wonder how this will affect your future and ability to earn a living.

The frustration you feel is understandable and if you are unaware of what steps to take and what you can do to remedy your situation, you should speak with a Florida personal injury attorney at Fulgencio Law. Workers are protected by Florida’s workers’ compensation laws. This means that you could be entitled to receiving reimbursement of medical expenses, payment for some amount of lost wages, and other damages that you may have suffered after your workplace accident. 

Obtaining Workers’ Compensation after a Florida Workplace Injury Accident

It can be incredibly stressful after a workplace accident. Questions about what you can do, how you are going to heal, and what will happen to your job if you are unable to work can swirl around your head and create a great deal of anxiety. But, the workers’ compensation laws are meant to protect workers and give them a safety net to help with the aftermath of a workplace accident that causes injuries or illness.

As long as a business has at least four employees, Florida’s workers’ compensation laws require that businesses carry workers’ compensation insurance. Workers can be full-time, part-time, or even seasonal. Independent contractors, though, will not be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. 

Workers will have to meet certain requirements to qualify for benefits. In specific, the injury or illness must happen at work or in the course of one doing one’s job. For example, if a construction worker is hit by a falling object on the construction site, then their damages could be covered by their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance plan. Or, maybe a worker is driving a work vehicle from one job site to the next and is hurt en route, here too, it could be possible to recover workers’ compensation benefits. 

Workers’ compensation injuries can include any of the following and more:

• Muscle sprains
• Fractured and broken bones
• Soft tissue tears
• Punctures, lacerations, and cuts
• Joint injuries
• Concussions
• Burns
• Death

After a workplace injury, Florida workers can pick the doctor they would like to see from the list their employer provides. That is, as long as the list has four doctors or more. All necessary medical treatment that is needed for the injury or illness like medication, surgery, or hospital stays, for instance, should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance.

A portion of a worker’s missed wages can be recovered with workers’ compensation insurance. There are several factors that go into the calculation of what lost wages will be paid.

Finally, dependants of a worker who suffers fatal injuries or illness could obtain death benefits. This would include funeral costs and potentially the lost income that the deceased contributed to their family.

Speak to Fulgencio Law Today

For help with a workers’ compensation claim in Florida, please call a  Tampa personal injury attorney at Fulgencio Law at (813) 463-0123 to schedule a free consultation.