If a Pennsylvania resident sustains injuries due to another person’s careless actions or negligent conduct then the victim may have the right to sue the other party in order to reclaim their losses. However, most workers do not have this option when it is the carelessness or negligence of their employers that causes their harm. That is because the state has a workers’ compensation system in place to streamline the process of getting hurt workers the help that they need.
It would be time consuming and expensive for employers to litigate every claim that their employees made regarding on-the-job injuries. In lieu of this option, workers’ compensation allows hurt workers to notify their employers of their injuries and seek benefits to help them get better and then back to work.
Workers should know, though, that by seeking benefits through the workers’ compensation process, they effectively waive their rights to sue their employers based on the possible claims they have against them for their injuries. This may not be a significant problem for workers who just need benefits to get past their injuries and who want to return to the jobs they had before suffering their harm.
There are many steps that workers and employers must take to ensure that a hurt worker gets them help that they need through workers’ compensation. If problems arise during the process a worker may discover that their request for benefits was denied and that they do not have the financial support they need to recover. When beginning a workers’ compensation claim, it can be helpful to a hurt individual to speak with an attorney who practices workers’ compensation law and who can guide them through the important steps to recovery.
