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Caught-between accidents can lead to injuries

On Behalf of | Mar 2, 2022 | Workers' Compensation |

Workers may find themselves placed in inherently dangerous jobs on a routine basis. Someone working around moving vehicles or hazardous chemicals might never be truly safe regardless of how many precautions everyone takes. Most worrisome could be the risks of caught-in or caught-between accidents in Pennsylvania.

Caught in a dangerous work accident

If someone loses control of a cart and a worker ends up caught between the cart and a wall, the injuries could be significant. Someone caught underneath a collapsed scaffolding and the floor might suffer fatal injuries. There are various other examples of caught-between accidents. Caught-in accidents may involve someone’s clothing caught by moving gears on a machine. People have lost their lives in such incidents.

Management could take additional steps to provide training and safety equipment, among other actions, to protect workers from harm. Still, eliminating all risk seems doubtful. Employees need to remain on alert to hazards as alertness could decrease the chances of accidents.

The aftermath of work injuries

Whether harmed in a caught-in or caught-between accident, a worker may require several weeks or more of recovery time. Some workers could suffer permanent disabilities after an accident. In both situations, workers may have concerns about their financial survival. Hopefully, a successful workers’ compensation claim or lawsuit could cover losses after a workplace accident. Defective products, taking away safety shields, and failure to warn of dangers could give rise to personal injury lawsuits over and above the benefits available through workers’ compensation.

Workers’ compensation provides benefits to employees who qualify. Pennsylvania remains a no-fault workers’ compensation state, meaning employees need not prove negligence. However, claimants must provide evidence that their injuries are work-related, and must generally present doctor’s testimony that the work injury caused their diagnoses.

Most injured workers cannot sue their employers, because the workers’ comp laws are a shield to such claims. However, third parties that cause injuries have no protections under workers’ compensation laws, so they may be the targets of personal injury lawsuits. If you are hurt in a caught-in or caught-between accident, speak with an certified specialist workers’ comp lawyer in Pennsylvania right away.

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