For most workers hurt on the job, compensation is relatively straightforward. They simply need to file for workers’ compensation benefits in accordance with Connecticut law. Generally speaking, workers’ compensation offers good coverage. It will cover all necessary medical costs, which is better than most health insurance programs that leave workers with out-of-pocket expenses.
However, when it comes to disability benefits, workers’ compensation can leave employees with a bit of an income gap. The state will likely only replace a portion of someone’s missed wages, which means that the longer they aren’t at work, the more money they lose because of their injury.
In most cases, an injured worker doesn’t have the right to bring a claim against their employer or a co-worker for an injury that occurs on the job. However, in some cases, a worker could bring a claim against someone else, known as a third-party claim. What are common reasons for third-party claims?
Car crashes are a common cause of third-party claims
Whether you occasionally drive supplies to clients directly or pick up new staffing recruits from the airport, driving could occasionally be part of your job even if you don’t work in the transportation industry. Regardless of the industry that you are in, your time spent behind the wheel is likely the most dangerous time on the clock on any day that you work.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, transportation collisions while working are among the top causes of worker deaths across all industries. Many other workers wind up severely hurt in crashes that occur while we are technically working. These workers may have the right to claim workers’ compensation benefits and to file a third-party claim against the individual who hurt them.
Defective products or inadequate services could also lead to third-party claims
If a piece of equipment that your employer provides to get the job done suddenly breaks, you could get hurt. The same is true if your employer hired someone to clean your workspace, but they over waxed the floors, leading to your suffering a terrible fall.
When an individual or business does a mediocre or negligent job providing a service or when a company that produces a product releases something with serious defects to the public, people hurt in such circumstances may have grounds for a civil lawsuit. A third-party claim can help those struggling with the financial consequences of an injury on the job.