Jacksonville Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Experienced Workers' Comp Attorneys

Have you been injured in a workplace accident? A Jacksonville workers' compensation lawyer at Riddle & Brantley may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve. Since 2000 alone, our attorneys have recovered over $720 million in compensation for injured North Carolinians (see disclaimer below), and we would love to help however we can.

"I would recommend Riddle & Brantley to anyone who needs help with workers' comp."

-B.F., Riddle & Brantley client

There are no upfront costs and we don't get paid unless we win our case and you receive compensation. Call (910) 455-5599 for a free consultation with an experienced workers' comp attorney.

Workers' compensation insurance companies will often stop at nothing to try and minimize your claim or avoid paying compensation outright. The insurance carriers have high-powered attorneys working on their behalf to defend against your workers' compensation claim. Don't gamble with your legal rights and potential compensation — call 1-800-525-1711 today for a FREE, no-obligation consultation with an experienced work injury lawyer at Riddle & Brantley.

Types of Work Injury Cases We Handle

Our workers' compensation lawyers have experience handling all types of workplace accidents in Jacksonville and across North Carolina. In more than 35 years of serving the people of North Carolina, we've served clients injured in all types of on-the-job accidents, including:

• Slips and falls
• Construction accidents
• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Tractor-trailer accidents
• Factory accidents
• Falling item accidents
• Repetitive motion injury cases
• Crush injury cases
• Utility work accidents
• Accidental firearm discharge
• Toxic substance exposure

Why Riddle & Brantley?

At Riddle & Brantley, we're proud of the record of settlements and judgments we've secured for injured North Carolinians, including those hurt while on the job. Our award-winning workers' comp attorneys (see disclaimer below) are led by two Board-Certified Speicalists in Workers' Compensation law. These attorneys, Chris Brantley and Adam Smith, have been recognized and endorsed by the NC State Bar for their experience and expertise handling these complicated cases.

Recent wins include:

• $2,750,000 — Attorneys Gene Riddle and Adam Smith fought for justice when our client, a construction worker, was struck by a truck in a work zone, eventually resulting in the loss of his right leg below the knee. We filed separate personal injury and workers' comp claims. After the workers' compensation carrier agreed to settle the claim, the truck insurance company refused, and we filed a lawsuit. Prior to trial, we negotiated a settlement totaling $2.75 million in compensation for our valued client.
• $2,475,000 — In one of the most complicated cases our attorneys have handled, we represented a worker who suffered disabling injuries after falling from a platform while working as a welder. We set up two trusts and a guardianship in order to ensure our client's lifelong care, and ultimately secured $2.475 million in total compensation from the workers' compensation carrier.
• $829,000 — Attorney Chris Brantley represented a cell tower worker who was struck by a falling tree and suffered a disabling head injury. He was left with traumatic brain injuries and paralysis on the left side of his body. We brought in an expert to compile a comprehensive life care plan to calculate future damages, and ultimately secured an $829,000 settlement with the insurance company.
• $125,000 — When an insurance company tried to deny our client's workers' compensation claim, Riddle & Brantley attorney Chris Brantley filed a request for a hearing with the NC Industrial Commission. After winning the hearing, attorney Brantley negotiated a $125,000 settlement at mediation for our deserving client.

Beyond our case results and our Specialists' designation, we're also proud of the words our valued clients use to describe their experience working with Riddle & Brantley, including:

"I was more than happy with the outcome of my workers' compensation case."

-Linda M., Riddle & Brantley client

What to Do After a Workplace Injury

If you've suffered from a job-related accident, what you do in the days and weeks immediately following the accident can have a significant impact on the outcome of any potential workers' compensation claim. Contact an experienced workers' comp lawyer today for a free, no-obligation consultation at (910) 455-5599, and follow these tips to protect your health and legal rights:

• Seek immediate medical treatment — not only will this protect your health and safety, but medical treatment records will play an important part in any potential workers' compensation claim or lawsuit.
• Notify your employer in writing of your accident by completing Form 18 (available from the North Carolina Industrial Commission).
• Make sure your employer submits Form 18 and Form 19 to the NCIC (if you have reason to doubt your employer will submit these forms, you or a Jackonsville work injury lawyer can submit Form 18 directly to the NCIC).
• Talk with a workers' compensation lawyer — an experienced attorney can help ensure that you don't miss any important deadlines, investigate the circumstances of the accident, and help hold the insurance company and employer accountable. Call 1-800-525-7111 for a FREE, no-obligation consultation with an experienced workers' comp lawyer at Riddle & Brantley today.

IMPORTANT: Do not wait to contact a workers' compensation lawyer after you've been hurt on the job. The longer you wait, the harder it may be to prove your case and get you the workers' comp benefits you need and deserve. We can advise you on what to do and if you decide to hire us, handle all the details of your claim. Call 1-800-525-7111 today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced workers' compensation attorney at Riddle & Brantley. To be clear: act fast. If you've been injured on the job, talk with an attorney right away before jeopardizing your legal rights.

"How Long Do I Have to File a Workers' Compensation Claim?"

Workers' compensation claims are subject to the North Carolina Statute of Limitations, which is essentially the deadline by which you must file a claim or lawsuit. There are some exceptions, but in general, in North Carolina you must file a workers' comp claim within two years of the date of injury. 

If you've been injured at work in Jacksonville or elsewhere in North Carolina, the clock is ticking. Don't miss your chance to file a workers' compensation claim. Get the legal process started today — call (910) 455-5599 for a free consultation with an experience workplace injury attorney today.

"How Can a Workers' Comp Attorney Help?"

Workers' comp cases can be difficult, stressful, and time-consuming. Let an experienced attorney at Riddle & Brantley help. One of our workers' compensation lawyers can handle all aspects of your claim, from start to finish, including:

• Workplace accident and environment investigation
• Ensuring that Forms 18 and 19 are filed with the North Carolina Industrial Commission
• Collection of incident reports and employer’s safety violation records
• Interviews of eyewitnesses to the accident
• Obtaining statements from expert witnesses
• Conducting depositions
• Ensuring that you do not lose your job in retaliation for a claim
• Representing you in negotiations with the workers' compensation insurance company
• Ensuring that you do not accept a "low-ball" offer from the insurance company
• Filing a personal injury claim in addition to the workers' comp claim, if applicable
• Representing you in mediation and/or arbitration proceedings
• Representing you in a hearing before the NCIC
• Filing a lawsuit if necessary

The sooner you contact our firm after a on-the-job injury, the better. Waiting could mean running the risk of missing an important deadline, such as the deadline for filing your workers’ compensation claim. Prompt legal attention, on the other hand, can preserve key evidence and ensure you file everything by the required dates.

Do All Employers in North Carolina Have Workers' Compensation Insurance?

This is a question our workers' compensation lawyers are asked frequently. The short answer is no, not all businesses in North Carolina have workers' compensation coverage. Not all North Carolina businesses are even required to have this coverage. North Carolina law requires all businesses with three or more employees to purchase workers’ compensation insurance. The law includes sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations. All of the above businesses must prove purchase of coverage of all employees, or self-coverage unless they fall under one of the following exceptions:

• Certain railroad operations
• Casual employees not falling under the course of the business’s regular trade
• Domestic servants
• Farm operations with fewer than ten laborers employed by the same farm
• North Carolina federal government
• Commissioned agricultural product sales operations

Can Contractors Get Workers' Comp Benefits?

North Carolina employers with contractors that file 1099s are not necessarily exempt from purchasing workers’ compensation insurance. Depending on the level of oversight and the degree of control the employer has over your work, you may receive workers’ compensation coverage as a 1099 employee. Similarly, if you are a subcontractor in Jacksonville or elsewhere in North Carolina, you may receive workers’ compensation from the owner of your contract.

What About Other Business Types?

In addition, some sole proprietorships (self-run businesses), partnerships, or LLCs may not fall under the statutes since the business owner does not always count as an employee. Similarly, corporate officers may not count as employees. Pay attention to the number of employees your employer maintains, as it may affect your right to workers’ compensation.

If you're in doubt about your employer's requirements for workers' compensation coverage, ask a workers' compensation attorney at Riddle & Brantley to help you determine whether your employer should have workers’ compensation. Please call (910) 455-5599 and let's review your claim. We believe Justice Counts and would love to help however we can.

"What If My Employer Does Not Have Workers’ Compensation Insurance?"

Employers that are required to have workers’ compensation insurance and choose not to purchase it risk severe financial penalties. Further, depending on the case, your employer could face misdemeanor or felony charges, which come with financial penalties and even imprisonment. Your employer should post a notice of your right to compensation for on-the-job injuries somewhere in an easily accessible area.

If you are the victim of a workplace injury and your employer did not purchase workers’ compensation insurance, you can contact a personal injury attorney at Riddle & Brantley and file a personal injury lawsuit against your employer. The employer may be required to provide compensation for your damages. States sometimes have a state-run fund for employees to draw workers’ compensation funds from in the event an employer fails to purchase the insurance; however, North Carolina does not, and hiring a personal injury attorney is your best course of action.

"What Damages Can I Get in My Workers' Comp Claim?"

North Carolina workers’ compensation insurance provides compensation for all of the typical damages caused by on-the-job accidents. You do not need to prove your employer or another employee was liable, or assign fault in any way. As long as the injury took place at work and within the scope of your job, you may file a workers’ compensation claim for the recovery of several types of damages, including:

• Medical expenses — Your employer chooses the medical provider but must pay for your care, prescriptions, equipment, and any other related medical expenses.
• Vocational rehabilitation services — If you are unable to return to your job due to disability, you are entitled to compensation for training required for another job.
• Wage replacement benefits — North Carolina workers’ compensation pays wage replacement benefits at a rate of two-thirds of your most recent wage.

"My Workers' Comp Claim Was Denied. Now What?"

If you have already filed a workers’ compensation claim and received a denial, don't worry — you still have an opportunity to seek compensation. Talk with a workers’ compensation attorney about requesting a hearing before the Industrial Commission. Your attorney will file Form 33, requesting a hearing with the NCIC.

At the hearing, your workers' compensation attorney will present evidence supporting your claim. It is important to retain all documentation of your injury and the circumstances under which it occurred, including all medical treatment records, bills, and other paperwork. If there were witnesses to your injury, your attorney can seek their testimony. Additionally, testimony from your doctors regarding the extent of your disability or injury can prove useful.

Hearings before the NCIC can be complicated. Call (910) 455-5599 right away so that a workers' comp lawyer can start investigating your workplace injury claim right away.

Talk with a Workers' Comp Lawyer for Free

If you've been hurt on the job, call (910) 455-5599 today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced workers' comp attorney at Riddle & Brantley. We will revive your claim, advise you on your best available legal options, and if you decide to hire us, fight tirelessly for your right to compensation. When you work with an attorney at Riddle & Brantley, you'll not only have an experienced advocate on your side, but you'll also be supported by an entire team of case managers, paralegals, and other staff, all committed to your success.

Don't wait — call (910) 455-5599 today and let's review your workers' compensation claim. Our workers' compensation attorneys are ready to help however they can.