Allentown Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

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Advocating for the Rights of Injured Workers in Allentown

Allentown is a diverse city filled with all types of workers — from manufacturers and warehouse workers at the Amazon distribution center to healthcare workers in the numerous hospitals. If you’ve been injured at work in the Lehigh Valley, you expect to be treated fairly by your employer and the insurance company when applying for workers’ compensation benefits. Unfortunately, many workers face obstacles to getting the benefits they need. It’s possible that your claim may be denied, or your benefits may stop before you’re ready to return to work. An Allentown workers’ compensation lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help ensure that you receive proper compensation for your medical treatment and lost wages. Injured workers must receive their workers’ compensation benefits as fast as possible.

Since 1959, the Allentown workers’ comp attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have worked hard to protect PA workers. J. Christopher Munley was named “Lawyer of the Year” for workers’ compensation in the Allentown metro area by the legal guide Best Lawyers. Caroline Munley is certified as a specialist in the practice of workers’ compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law. We have earned the trust of our clients and the esteem of our peers, and have the highest possible ratings from Martindale-Hubbell. If you have questions about workers’ comp, our personal injury lawyers in Allentown would be glad to help.

For a free consult with a workers’ compensation attorney, fill out our contact form, chat live, or call us today. We do not charge a fee for our services unless we succeed in securing your workers’ compensation benefits.

How Does the Workers’ Compensation Process Work in Allentown, PA?

The purpose of workers’ compensation is to pay your medical expenses and compensate you for lost wages following a work-related injury or illness. If you sustain an injury, develop an illness, or aggravate an existing injury while performing your job duties, the PA Workers Compensation Act entitles you to receive payments for your medical costs and time missed from work, regardless of who is at fault for your accident. Workers’ compensation applies to seasonal, part-time, and full-time employees.

What steps you take following a work-related accident or disease diagnosis, is crucial to your case. Here is what you should do to ensure your workers’ compensation.

Report the Workplace Accident to Your Supervisor

Following the accident, immediately report your injuries to your supervisor or employer. Even if your workplace injury doesn’t seem serious, a record of the incident will prove valuable should you develop complications as time goes on. Under Pennsylvania law, you must notify your employer within 120 days of the date of injury in order to qualify for workers’ compensation. Exceptions to this include long-term illnesses, such as mesothelioma from asbestos exposure.

Get Medical Treatment From a Workers’ Compensation Approved Doctor

Seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Your workers’ employer must provide a list of six workers’ compensation approved physicians for you to choose from. You must be treated by one of these doctors for the first 90 days after your accident in order to have your medical bills paid by the workers’ compensation insurance. If you still require additional treatment after 90 days, you may see any doctor you like and workers’ comp must cover the cost. In order to receive payment for the time you miss from work, a doctor must verify that your injury was work-related and that you cannot perform your job duties.

Your Employer Fills Out the Paperwork

Your employer will have the appropriate paperwork for filing a workers’ compensation claim. It can take up to 28 days to receive your first workers’ comp payment if the claim is approved by the insurance company. However, if you receive notice that your claim was denied, or that your workers’ compensation benefits will stop before you are ready to return to work, that’s where a workman’s compensation lawyer can help.

What Benefits Can I Receive?

Depending on your unique situation, there may be different types of workers’ compensation benefits you can collect.

• Medical Benefits: In most work injury cases, you should receive medical benefits to cover your treatment.
  Temporary Total Disability (TTD): If your injuries are preventing you from returning to work, TTD benefits are available. If you are out of work for more than 104 weeks, you may be required to undergo an Impairment Rating Evaluation (IRE).
• Permanent Partial Disability (PPD): Partial disability benefits may be available for those injured at work who can return, but only to a position that pays less than their original position. This means you may be able to perform light-duty work.
• Permanent Total Disability (PTD): In the case of catastrophic injury, a worker may be unable to perform their job ever again. In these serious cases, contact a workman’s comp lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your options.
• Vocational Rehab: This type of benefit will cover rehab associated with your work injury.
• Specific Loss: In the event of the loss of a body part through amputation or the loss of use of a body part, such as paralysis or loss of vision, you may be entitled to specific loss benefits. These are similar to Temporary Total Disability benefits, meaning you can only receive these benefits for a specific time period.
• Disfigurement: If you have suffered disfigurement through scarring, burns, or other permanent damage, you may be entitled to additional benefits.
• Death Benefits: If you lost a loved one to a work-related accident, your family may be entitled to compensation benefits. Call Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys immediately so we can be sure your family gets the compensation you deserve.

How Can Our Allentown Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Help You Recover From Your On-The-Job Injuries?

Some occupations are inherently more dangerous than others, but any Pennsylvania employee can get hurt on the job. Our Allentown workers’ compensation attorneys help workers from the Lehigh Valley who have suffered from these common work-related injuries.

Overuse Injuries
The repetitive motion disorders involved in many manufacturing and manual labor jobs can lead to overuse injuries.  These can include back, neck, shoulder, and other joint injuries. Overuse injuries can also affect office workers who spend hours at their desks typing on their computers. Such repetitive motion injuries include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and bursitis.

Heavy Machinery Accidents
Serious and sometimes fatal injuries can occur in industrial and warehouse work settings in the Allentown area. Working around heavy machinery and equipment and hazardous materials can lead to an accident. The machinery may be defective, or there may be a lack of training or proper safety protocol. Injuries from accidents involving dangerous machinery at a company can include crushed limbs, hands or fingers, amputation, broken bones, lacerations, electrical burns, and wrongful death.

Construction Accidents
According to OSHA, fatal accidents in the construction industry increased by 6 percent in 2019 to 1,066, which is the highest figure since 2007. The leading causes of private construction industry deaths were falls, being struck by objects, electrocution, and being caught in between objects. Those four causes were responsible for 64.2 percent of construction worker deaths. Fall protection in construction was the number one most frequently cited violation by OSHA in 2019. Falls from scaffolding and other heights, electrocution, crushing injuries, and tool and equipment accidents can all cause serious injuries to construction workers.

Construction worker injuries can include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Neck injuries
• Burns and electrical injuries
• Hearing loss
• Vision loss
• Fractures
• Loss of limbs or amputation
• Internal injuries
• Knee, shoulder, and elbow injuries
• Foot and ankle injuries
• Wrongful death

Transportation Accidents
According to OSHA, the trucking and transportation industry sees a high rate of work-related fatalities. Allentown  is surrounded by busy highways such as I-78, Routes 22 and 33, and the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike. Many tractor-trailers travel these highways to reach New York, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and New Jersey. So it’s no surprise that truck accidents in the Lehigh Valley have been steadily rising. Car and truck accidents can be complex cases, especially when you’re on the job. Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can not only handle your workers’ comp case but also complex motor vehicle accident claims.

Warehouse Worker Injuries
Thanks to its proximity to major metropolitan areas along the East Coast, the Lehigh Valley is known as a transportation hub for hundreds of businesses. Amazon, Frito-Lay, Pepperidge Farm, AutoParts, and many others all have warehouses in the Lehigh Valley. And each year, thousands of warehouse workers are injured while on the job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in 20 warehouse workers will suffer injuries each year.

Among the most common injuries include:

• Slip and falls
• Exertion and repetitive stress injuries
• Equipment related injuries

Healthcare Worker Injuries
Among the top two employers in the Lehigh Valley are Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network and St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics Study, hospital workers in the U.S. suffered 294,000 workplace injuries and illnesses in 2014. The CDC said that healthcare workers are among those with the highest rate of nonfatal occupational injury and illnesses.

Work Illnesses in Allentown
In addition to workplace injuries, there is also the danger of illness and diseases. Work-related illness can occur from exposure to hazardous chemicals and other dangerous materials at work. Exposure to these dangerous toxins and chemicals in a business can lead to serious respiratory conditions, renal disease, chemical burns, and some forms of cancer, including mesothelioma.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a Third-Party Claim?

A: If your work accident was caused by a person or entity other than your employer, you may have a third-party claim, in addition to your workers’ comp case. A third-party claim allows you to file a lawsuit against another individual or entity for your workplace injury. For example, if you are a delivery driver and got into a car accident with a drunk driver, you can not only file a workers’ comp claim, but you can file a car accident claim against the other driver.

Who Qualifies as an At-Fault Third Party?

This can be an outside contractor, maintenance crew, driver, organization, or manufacturer that contributed to your injury. If you sustained a serious injury from a faulty piece of equipment, the equipment manufacturer may be liable.

A workers’ comp lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys will explore all possible sources of recovery to ensure that you receive fair compensation.

Q: Is There a Statute of Limitations for a Workers’ Compensation Claim?

A: In Pennsylvania, you have three years from the date of the injury to file a workers’ compensation case. But remember, you need to tell your supervisor prior to filling out a claim about the accident, and the time to tell your employer is much shorter. According to the law, you have to let your employer know about the accident within 120 days from the date of the injury. Failure to do so could result in a denial of your workers’ comp claim.

Q: I Work Part-Time. Am I Covered Under Workers’ Compensation?

A: Yes, almost every Allentown employee is covered under workers’ compensation, including part-time and seasonal workers. However, there are some jobs that are not covered by the Commonwealth’s workers’ compensation law. For example, if you work for the federal government or you’re a railroad worker, you are covered under federal workers’ compensation benefits, which is a different process.

If you are an independent contractor, you will not be covered under an employer’s workers’ comp insurance. However, there are other options for you to explore. Give our Allentown workers’ compensation lawyers a call to learn more.

Q: How Much Can I Receive on Workers’ Compensation?

A: It all depends on the severity of your injury. For example, if you are unable to return to work, you will receive weekly benefits that equal to about two-thirds of your weekly pay, or a maximum of $1,273 per week (this number changes yearly). However, if you are able to return to work right after your injury, workers’ comp will pay for your medical expenses.

Q: My Workers’ Comp Claim Was Denied. What Are My Options?

A: If your claim was denied, you do have the opportunity to appeal the decision. But before you go through the appeal process, your first step should be to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in Allentown to make sure your claim is accurate.

Call an Allentown Workers’ Compensation Attorney at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys For a Free Consultation

If you’ve been injured at work in Allentown or anywhere in the Lehigh Valley, call an Allentown workers’ compensation lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys today for a free case evaluation. We will answer any questions you may have, explain your rights, and help you navigate the legal process. Chat live, fill out our contact form, or call to arrange a free consult with an Allentown workmens’ compensation lawyer.

We do not collect a fee unless we secure your workers’ compensation benefits.

At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we do not collect a fee unless we win your case or recover your benefits. If we cannot get you the compensation you deserve, you owe us nothing. Contact Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys today to learn what an Allentown workers’ compensation attorney can do for you.

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

1275 Glenlivet Dr
Suite 100-599,
Allentown, PA 18106
(610) 232-7006