Experienced Counsel for On-the-Job Injury Claims in Iowa and Illinois
With more than 25 years of experience with the resolution of workplace accident claims in the Quad Cities, eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois, Davenport workers' compensation attorney Earl Payson is familiar with both states' systems for protecting the interests of workers who have been injured on the job. Contact the Quad Cities law firm of Earl A. Payson, P.C., for more information in a free initial consultation.
Call 563-323-8054 in Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island or Moline
In both Iowa and Illinois, the workers' compensation system is intended to provide a faster and more certain way than personal injury litigation to assure coverage of lost income and medical expenses resulting from job-related injuries. You don't need to prove negligence or fault to establish a right to workers' comp benefits.
There's a tradeoff, however. Although you should be able to collect workers' compensation sooner than you can settle a personal injury case, you will not be able to recover the same range of damages that you could in a case of negligence on the part of a property owner, another driver or a careless doctor.
Earl Payson can explain the mechanics of a workers' compensation claim while going to work immediately to establish your right to the amount necessary to cover the full cost of medical treatment and your lost income for the period when you're unable to work. If a dispute develops as to how you were injured, how badly you were hurt, or when you're ready to return to work, Mr. Payson's trial skills can represent an important advantage in your favor.
Some People Can Collect Both Workers' Comp and Personal Injury Damages
Mr. Payson's experience with personal injury and medical malpractice litigation can also protect the value of your claims in a number of situations. For example, if you're a professional driver injured by a negligent motorist, or if your injury was aggravated by improper diagnosis or medical treatment, you might be entitled to personal injury damages against a negligent defendant while you are collecting benefits under a workers' comp claim.
Our law firm advises and represents Iowa and Illinois workers in wide variety of industries on both traumatic injury claims and chronic or repetitive stress conditions. Many of our clients work in such fields as:
- Meat packing
- Manufacturing and assembly
- Freight handling, warehouse or rail terminal work
- Trucking, delivery or passenger driving
- Riverfront and barge work
- Construction
- Repair and installation
Depending on the circumstances of the accident, river and barge workers might be able to proceed under the federal Jones Act or Longshore and Harbor Workers' Act rather than either state's workers' comp system.
The best time to contact an attorney on an Iowa or Illinois workers' comp claim is as soon as you know that your accident will keep you away from work for any length of time. The early intervention of an experienced attorney can protect both your immediate and long-term interest in full payment for a workplace accident.
The attorney's fee for workers' compensation claims is set by state law in both Iowa and Illinois, and your lawyer will be paid with a percentage of your benefits. For additional information about the best ways to make the Iowa or Illinois workers' compensation system work in your favor after an accident on the job, contact the law firm of Earl A. Payson, P.C., in Davenport for a free consultation.