If you’ve been injured while working in Garner, North Carolina, do not assume you have to deal with the consequences on your own. You have rights as a worker, which may include the ability to receive workers’ compensation insurance benefits through your employer, as well as filing a personal injury lawsuit. Working with an experienced Garner workers’ compensation lawyer at Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers can help you maximize your financial recovery.
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers is a trusted and respected advocate for North Carolina’s injured workers and their families. Our award-winning trial attorneys' collective experience spans more than 190 years. Experience, knowledge, and a relentless pursuit of justice have helped us win $850 million (and counting) in compensation for our clients.
Call (800)-525-7111 or contact our law office in Garner, NC, to discover how we can help you maximize your workers’ compensation benefits, too. Your first consultation is free.
How Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers Can Help You Make the Most of Your Workers’ Compensation Claim in Garner, NC
Just because you may technically have the right to file a claim for workers’ compensation doesn’t mean that getting benefits is a foregone conclusion. In fact, you should expect your employer’s insurance company to do everything it can to deny your request and, if that’s not possible, pay you as little as possible.
Working with an experienced Garner personal injury lawyer can force the insurance company to approach your claim for benefits differently.
Choosing Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers shows the workers’ compensation insurance carrier that you won’t be pushed around or manipulated. On the contrary, you’re going to push to control the claims process and make sure that you’re properly compensated for your work-related injuries.
Give yourself time to focus on recovering and getting back to work - count on our top-rated North Carolina litigators to handle everything else for you.
We will:
- Investigate the underlying circumstances of your workplace injury or illness
- Gather documentation and evidence required to support your claim for benefits
- Ensure that your claim satisfies all notification and procedural requirements
- Schedule an Independent Medical Evaluation (IME), if necessary, to dispute claims regarding your injuries or whether you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement
- Determine if you might have additional legal options for pursuing compensation that could supplement any benefits you receive
- Represent you during claim-related negotiations and hearings
We’ll answer your questions and keep you in the loop every step of the way. If the insurance company won’t make a fair offer, we’ll appeal its decision and fight for you in court.
The bottom line is that you’ll be able to rely on us to offer the support, guidance, and aggressive representation you need right now. We’ll do it all without asking you to pay us a dime out of your own pocket, too. Our contingency fee representation means you pay nothing until we win your workers’ compensation claim.
Contact our North Carolina workers’ compensation lawyers in Garner today to schedule a free consultation. Members of our legal team are always here to take your call.
Understanding North Carolina’s Workers’ Compensation System
Workers’ compensation can be a lifeline when you get hurt while working in Garner, NC. However, since it's an alternative to traditional civil litigation, it can be more challenging to understand the process and whether you might qualify for benefits.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault insurance system. Employers with three or more employees are legally required to carry a workers’ compensation insurance policy. The policy can be used to pay for medical expenses and lost wages when qualifying employees suffer work-related injuries.
It’s designed to help injured workers get the compensation they need to pay for costly medical treatment or offset an unexpected loss of income. In exchange for an accelerated path to monetary benefits, the employee agrees to waive their right to sue their employer for the workplace injury.
Do I Qualify for Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
Not everyone will qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
You should qualify if you:
- Work for an employer who is required to carry a workers’ compensation policy
- Are an employee, not an independent contractor, and
- Suffer injuries (or are diagnosed with an occupational disease) while carrying out the terms of your employment.
You can potentially qualify for workers’ compensation even if you’re not at work when you get hurt. For instance, if you get hurt in a work-related car accident or truck accident, you’d likely be able to recover benefits. On the other hand, you wouldn’t qualify if you got hurt while commuting to work or going out to get lunch.
Can I Sue My Employer and Get Workers’ Compensation?
Not in most cases. Workers’ compensation is designed to help workers recover compensation swiftly when they suffer injuries on the job. In exchange for carrying the workers’ compensation insurance policy, employers are generally protected against civil lawsuits when employees get hurt (though there are rare exceptions).
The right to sue isn’t lost entirely. You may still be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against another party, such as a property owner, a negligent motorist, or a product manufacturer.
How Will North Carolina’s Contributory Negligence Rule Affect My Workers’ Compensation Claim?
North Carolina’s contributory negligence rule does not apply to claims for workers’ compensation. So, you can receive benefits even if you are partially or fully responsible for your workplace injuries.
However, the harsh contributory fault rule will apply to related civil tort actions, including personal injury lawsuits filed against liable third parties.
What Benefits Does Workers’ Compensation Insurance Pay?
Workers’ compensation offers limited economic benefits to qualifying employees, primarily for medical expenses and lost wages.
Medical Expenses
Your medical bills should be covered when you file a claim for workers’ compensation.
Benefits should help you pay for all reasonable and necessary costs, including:
- Emergency room care
- Hospitalization
- Diagnostic tests and labs
- Surgery
- Medication
- Medical devices
- Medical equipment
- Chiropractic care
- Dental care
You must obtain treatment from an approved healthcare provider. If you seek care outside of the insurance company’s network, it might decline to cover those costs.
Temporary Total Disability
If your workplace injury is severe enough to keep you out of work for a week or longer, you can qualify for Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits. Temporary Total Disability pays up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage (AWW) for up to 500 weeks. However, for 2025, weekly TTD benefits are capped at $1,380.
Temporary Partial Disability
When you’re cleared to return to work, but can’t go back to the same job or earn the same amount of money right away, you can qualify for Temporary Partial Disability (TPD). Temporary Partial Disability pays up to two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury and post-injury wages.
Permanent Partial Disability
When an injury is permanently disabling but doesn’t keep you from working in some capacity, you can qualify for Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits. Benefits, which usually equal two-thirds of your average weekly wage, are paid according to a schedule. The more serious the disability, the longer you can receive benefits.
For instance, you can receive PPD for the loss of a small toe for 10 weeks. On the other hand, PPD benefits can be awarded for 200 weeks for the loss of a leg.
Permanent Total Disability
If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury that significantly impairs your quality of life and/or prevents you from working in any capacity, you can qualify for Permanent Total Disability (PTD). PTD benefits are an extension of Temporary Total Disability benefits.
Death Benefits
When a worker is killed on the job in Garner, NC, their family may be able to recover death benefits to pay for the worker’s funeral and alleviate the financial stress that any lost financial support might cause.
How Long Do I Have To File a Claim for Workers’ Compensation in Garner, North Carolina?
You have 30 days to notify your employer that you’ve been hurt on the job. As long as you’ve satisfied this notification requirement, you’ll have two years from the date of your workplace injury to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits in the state of North Carolina.
The time limit to file a personal injury lawsuit is three years. If you allow the statute of limitations to run out before submitting your claim, you will forfeit the ability to recover these critical monetary benefits. There are only exceptions for rare cases, so we recommend that you contact our workers’ comp lawyers in Garner as soon as possible for help.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Garner Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Workers’ compensation benefits can help to alleviate a lot of the stress you experience after a workplace accident in Garner, North Carolina. However, getting the benefits you deserve can be stressful, too. Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers can offer the experienced, resourceful representation you need to win your claim.
Our Garner workers’ compensation attorneys have over 190 years of collective experience and an undeniable ability to win tough personal injury disputes. Since our founding, we’ve won well over $850 million in benefits, settlements, and jury verdicts.
We offer a free consultation, so don’t hesitate to call our Garner, NC, law office for assistance today.