If you suffer from work-related illness or injury in Las Vegas, you probably have the right to receive workers’ compensation insurance benefits. You may also have the right to sue for additional compensation. But that doesn’t mean the money you deserve will be easy to get. Many workers who get hurt or sick because of an accident or dangerous condition at work struggle to obtain the funds they need to pay their bills and replace their lost income.
An experienced Las Vegas workers’ compensation attorney at Edward Bernstein and Associates can help. We represent injured and sick Las Vegas-area workers in legal actions aimed at securing compensation from workers’ comp and other sources. Contact us today to learn about your rights.
Las Vegas Workers Compensation Guide
- Overview of Workers’ Compensation in Las Vegas
- Common Las Vegas Workplace Accidents and Conditions Leading to a Workers’ Comp Claim
- Common Las Vegas Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
- What’s Involved in Claiming Workers’ Comp in Las Vegas?
- Seeking Additional Compensation for a Workplace Injury or Illness
- Contact an Experienced Las Vegas Workers’ Comp Lawyer Today
About Our Law Firm
For over 40 years, the law firm of Edward Bernstein and Associates has fought to secure compensation for injured Nevada accident victims. Our Las Vegas personal injury lawyers handle every aspect of the process of obtaining money for our clients so that they can focus their energy and resources on healing and rebuilding their lives.
Representing injured Las Vegas workers constitutes a core part of our law practice. Our team understands the devastation a work-related injury or illness can inflict on workers and their families.
We work relentlessly to make sure workers’ compensation insurance companies fulfill their obligations to injured workers and (when possible) that parties at fault for a workplace accident or hazard pay their fair share, too.
How We Can Help You With Your Las Vegas Workers’ Comp or Third-Party Damages Claim
The team at Edward Bernstein and Associates believes that Las Vegas workers should receive as much compensation as possible for harm they suffered in connection with their job. No one should lose their health, earning ability, and enjoyment of life because of an accident or condition at their workplace.
We fight every day to get injured workers enough money to pay their bills and rebuild their lives.
Every Las Vegas workers’ comp case we handle differs, but our knowledgeable lawyers know how to:
- Investigate a workplace accident or condition to determine who should pay for the harm it caused
- Oversaw a client’s workers’ comp process to make sure medical providers and employers submitted proper and timely documentation
- Interact with workers’ comp insurance companies to ensure the smooth and fair processing of a workers’ comp claim
- Represent a worker in an appeal of a denied claim
- Negotiate claim settlements with workers’ comp insurance companies
- Analyze and build a case against a third party for additional damages
- Pursue a third-party lawsuit on our client’s behalf
- Negotiate settlements with third-party insurance companies and defense lawyers
- Go to trial to prove a third-party claim to a Las Vegas judge and jury
- Collect and distribute all money owed to our clients from workers’ comp or third-party claims
At Edward Bernstein and Associates, we also understand that a work-related injury or illness can put you under severe financial strain. We do not want to add to your burden. That’s why we take Las Vegas workers’ compensation and third-party claim cases on a contingent fee basis. We don’t charge upfront fees, and we don’t bill by the hour. Instead, our fee consists only of a portion of any money we secure on your behalf. If we don’t get you results, you owe us nothing.
Overview of Workers’ Compensation in Las Vegas
Workers’ compensation is a form of no-fault insurance. It covers workers for the cost of treating work-related injuries and illnesses and for some of the income they lose because of those medical conditions, regardless of how their injuries or illnesses happened. Workers’ comp even covers workers against injuries they suffer in accidents their own actions caused.
Most Las Vegas employers must buy workers’ comp for their employees. If you work in Las Vegas and have a boss or supervisor who sets your hours and job responsibilities, chances are that workers’ compensation covers you, regardless of your age, how many hours you work (full or part time), or your nationality or immigration status. Even undocumented workers are covered by workers’ comp in Las Vegas.
If you get hurt or sick on the job in Las Vegas, workers’ comp should pay for:
- All reasonable medical care you need to treat your medical condition
- A portion of any earnings you lost by missing work while injured or sick
- A portion of any earnings you will lose because your injury or illness amounts to a partial or total disability that prevents you from working in the future
- Vocational rehabilitation or job retraining you need in order to return to the workforce
Workers’ comp will also generally pay for a portion of the lost earnings of a worker who dies as a result of a job-related injury or illness. These payments are called death benefits.
Workers’ compensation is generally the exclusive remedy Las Vegas workers have against their employer arising out of a work-related injury or illness. That means that workers usually cannot sue their employer or a co-worker after getting hurt or sick in an on-the-job accident or incident. Workers may, however, have the right to sue a third party (someone other than their employer or co-worker) in certain circumstances, as discussed further below.
Edward Bernstein and Associates represents injured workers in all aspects of the process of securing workers’ compensation benefits. We invite you to contact us to find out how we might help you if you get hurt or sick at work in Las Vegas.
Common Las Vegas Workplace Accidents and Conditions Leading to a Workers’ Comp Claim
Work-related injuries and illnesses have numerous potential causes in Las Vegas.
Workers can get hurt or sick because of:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Electrocutions
- Repetitive work tasks
- Heavy lifting
- Exposure to toxic chemicals or materials
- Exposure to fire, steam, welding, and other burn risks
- Construction site accidents
- Commercial kitchen accidents
- Being struck by falling or flying objects
- Defective tools and equipment
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Assaults and other violent crimes
This is just a partial list. No matter how a workplace injury or illness occurs in Las Vegas, the team at Edward Bernstein and Associates has the skill and resources to pursue compensation for a worker. Contact us to learn how we can help you.
Common Las Vegas Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
Workers can suffer a wide range of harm due to accidents or unsafe conditions at their workplace. At Edward Bernstein and Associates, our 40+ years of experience representing injured Las Vegas workers has given us a deep understanding of a diverse variety of common work-related injuries and illnesses.
We can represent workers and their loved ones in recovering compensation for:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)
- Crush injuries
- Loss of use of limbs or appendages
- Loss of eyesight
- Loss of hearing
- Burns
- Electrocution injuries
- Back injuries
- Nerve damage
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Broken bones and orthopedic trauma
- Chronic illness, like respiratory disorders
- Life-threatening illness, like cancer
- Death
This is not a complete list, but it’s representative of our vast range of experience at Edward Bernstein and Associates. Connect with our team in a free consultation to discuss the injury or illness you’ve sustained in connection with your job in Las Vegas.
What’s Involved in Claiming Workers’ Comp in Las Vegas?
To file a workers’ comp claim after you get hurt or sick in connection with your job in Las Vegas, report your condition to your employer immediately and then seek medical care from a medical provider approved by your employer or the state. (If you need emergency treatment, you can seek it from any doctor without pre-approval.)
Tell your doctor that your condition arises from a job-related cause. This will alert your doctor to the need to fill out a Form C-4 seeking payment from your employer’s workers’ comp insurance company for your care and lost income. (You or your workers’ comp lawyer will need to complete part of this form as well.)
Your claim is deemed filed once the doctor submits that form to the workers’ comp insurance company and your employer. For your claim to be valid, your doctor must submit the form within 90 days of your injury or the date you first noticed your illness. Make sure to get a copy of the form from your doctor when it’s submitted.
The workers’ comp insurance company has 30 days to decide whether to pay or deny your claim. Either way, the company will send you a letter with the decision and, if applicable, an explanation of your rights to appeal. The workers’ comp carrier may agree to pay some benefits you’ve claimed but not others. This is known as a partial claim denial.
At Edward Bernstein and Associates, we strongly urge you to contact an experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyer as early as possible in this process and no later than when you receive a letter denying any part of your claim. In a free consultation, a knowledgeable legal professional can walk you through your rights and explain the options available to make sure you receive the full compensation you need to cover the cost of your injuries and earnings losses.
Seeking Additional Compensation for a Workplace Injury or Illness
As we’ve explained, you generally can’t sue your employer or a co-worker for the injury or illness you sustained in connection with your job in Las Vegas. Your workers’ comp benefits usually take the place of your right to file a lawsuit against those parties.
But you may have the right to sue someone other than your employer or co-worker for damages. If your work-related injury or illness stemmed from the wrongful actions of a third party, Nevada law may permit you to pursue a lawsuit seeking money damages from that party in addition to your workers’ comp benefits.
For example, you may have the right to file a third-party lawsuit for damages against:
- The manufacturer of defective work tools or equipment that contributed to the cause of a workplace accident
- The manufacturer of unreasonably hazardous chemicals or building materials to which you were exposed on the job
- A motorist whose careless actions caused a traffic accident with your work vehicle
- A contractor or property owner on a job site whose failure to follow safety protocols led to your injury
At Edward Bernstein and Associates, we investigate your work-related injury or illness to determine if you have the right to pursue additional compensation through a third-party lawsuit.
If we conclude that you do, you may receive payments for:
- Any medical costs not covered by your workers’ comp benefits
- Non-medical expenses related to living with your injury or illness, such as the cost of replacement services or modifications to your home
- Any past or future earnings not replaced by your workers’ comp benefits
- Your physical pain and emotional suffering
- The inconvenience and life disruption caused by your injury or illness
- The impact of your injury or illness on your personal relationships or quality of life
Additionally, you might have the right to seek an award of punitive damages if a third-party caused your injury or illness through wanton or malicious conduct.
We invite you to contact us at Edward Bernstein and Associates today to begin a discussion about your potential rights to seek third-party compensation for your Las Vegas work-related injury or illness.
Contact an Experienced Las Vegas Workers’ Comp Lawyer Today
Most Las Vegas workers have valuable rights to receive workers’ comp benefits after getting hurt or sick on the job. Some workers can also claim additional damages from third parties whose actions harmed them. But obtaining this compensation does not always come easy—it takes the hard work and skills of an experienced Las Vegas workers’ comp and third-party claim attorney to ensure workers have the funds they need to heal and recover.
Edward Bernstein and Associates represents sick and injured Las Vegas workers. We fight to get them paid for the harm they’ve suffered. Contact us today at (702) 508-7334 for your free consultation with our knowledgeable legal professionals. We can explain your rights and how we might help with your Las Vegas workers’ comp or third-party claim.
FAQS About Workers’ Compensation in Las Vegas
1. Am I eligible for workers’ compensation benefits?
If you are an official employee, and the company that you work for has workers’ compensation insurance, there is a good chance that you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Contact a workers’ comp attorney today to find out more.
2. How do I file a workers’ comp claim?
After informing your supervisor of the injury, they should have you fill out the proper paperwork. After that (and after you have been examined by a physician), your employer and their insurance company should get working on your claim.
3. My benefits were denied.
Now what? Call your lawyer. They’ll ask for details and guide you from there.
4. Can I continue to work?
Sometimes a doctor recommends “work restrictions”, meaning you might be able to work, but with certain limitations, and only if your employer has work available that fits into those guidelines.
5. The doctor says I shouldn’t work, but my manager is insisting. What should I do?
Your lawyer can review your situation and explain what should be done.