My bills are getting paid and I’m getting checks from my workers’ compensation carrier, so why do I need a lawyer after a work-related injury?  

The New Jersey workers’ compensation system allows the insurance companies to manage your medical care. This gives them the ability to manage costs and make profits. On occasion, insurance companies abuse this right and injured workers’ suffer beyond the pain of the original injury. You may feel rushed to return to work by nurse case managers assigned by the insurance company to coordinate your care or have difficulty getting referrals or authorization to see specialists that have been recommended by the doctors authorized to treat you.  

In the worst case scenario, repeated refusal to comply with court orders and delays can be more trying than the original accident. Courts have repeatedly held that injured workers have no right of action against their workers’ compensation carrier for pain and suffering caused by such delay or obstinacies.  See Stancil v. Ace USA , decided August 1, 2012.  

When you are out of work due to a work-related accident and you are hurting you should not have to worry about the medical bills or getting your temporary disability benefits on time, you should be concentrating on getting better and getting back to work. The last thing you want to do is deal with the insurance company.

Therefore, we recommend, that in order to protect yourself, you hire an attorney to fight for your rights. At Stark & Stark, our experienced team of attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries can make sure you are not taken advantage of by the insurance company. Our staff recently created a mission statement and we work each day to achieve the goals we have set forth for ourselves, “The workers’ compensation department’s mission is to provide quality, professional legal services to protect injured workers rights by working together to achieve the optimal results based on each client’s needs.” Please call us today for your free, no obligation consultation and leave the worrying to us!    

Vicki Beyer is a Shareholder in Stark & Stark’s Lawrenceville, New Jersey office, concentrating in Workers’ Compensation Law. For more information, please contact Ms. Beyer.