Were you hurt while working in Cleveland, Ohio? You may be entitled to workers’ compensation and personal injury damages in a third-party claim. An experienced Cleveland workplace injury lawyer at Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers can help you seek all the money you’re owed. Call (216) 510-9985 for a free consultation.
Our firm has extensive experience handling serious workplace injury and personal injury cases across Ohio. We know how devastating it is to get hurt at the very job that is supposed to earn your living. We’ll help you recover compensation and set things right.
Why Hire Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers After a Workplace Accident in Cleveland?
A workplace injury can leave you with medical bills and lost income from missed work, with limited ability to return to your job in the near future. You deserve compensation to help you bridge the gap from now until you can return to work or reach maximum medical improvement. Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers can help you seek maximum compensation from workers’ comp and other insurance sources.
Clients in Cleveland, OH, choose us because:
- We have over 100 years of combined legal experience handling complex car accident and personal injury cases
- We’ve recovered tens of millions for injured clients across Ohio
- We’ve earned distinctions from Super Lawyers, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates, and other top services
- We have hundreds of 5-star reviews on Google
- We provide contingency fee arrangements with no up-front fees
Call us today to schedule a free case review to learn more about your legal rights from a Cleveland personal injury attorney.
What Is My Cleveland Workplace Injury Case Worth?
The value of a workplace injury claim depends on several factors, including the seriousness of the injury and whether another party besides your employer contributed to the accident.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
In Ohio, many injured employees qualify for workers’ compensation benefits regardless of who caused the accident. These benefits typically cover medical treatment and partial wage replacement for qualifying injuries — but not pain and suffering or emotional distress.
Personal Injury Claims Against Third Parties
In some workplace accident cases, you may also have a personal injury claim against a third party whose negligence contributed to the accident. This can be important because a personal injury claim may allow you to recover damages that are not available through workers’ compensation.
For example, you may have additional personal injury claims beyond workers’ comp if you were injured due to:
- Defective equipment
- Negligent subcontractors
- Unsafe property conditions
- Motor vehicle accidents while working
If this describes your situation, several factors may affect the overall value of your case, including:
- The severity of the injury
- Whether you’ve suffered a permanent disability
- The amount of medical treatment required
- Your future medical care needs
- The lost wages and reduced earning capacity you’ve experienced
- Whether you can return to the same occupation
- Whether you share fault for the accident (relevant to third-party claims)
The best way to understand the value of your case is to speak with an experienced Cleveland workplace injury attorney who can evaluate your specific circumstances. Call us today for more information.
What Compensation Is Available After a Workplace Injury in Ohio?
The compensation available after a workplace injury in Ohio depends on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the severity of your injuries.
Workers’ Compensation
Most workplace injury claims initially proceed through Ohio’s workers’ compensation system. Workers’ compensation benefits are generally available to employees who are injured while performing job-related duties. These cases do not require proof that the employer acted negligently.
Depending on the circumstances, workers’ compensation benefits may include:
- Payments for medical expenses
- Wage replacement benefits
- Temporary total disability benefits
- Permanent partial disability benefits
- Vocational rehabilitation services
- Death benefits for surviving family members
Although these benefits provide important support, they are limited in several ways and often fail to fully compensate workers suffering from catastrophic injuries.
Third-Party Personal Injury Claims
In some situations, injured workers may also pursue separate personal injury claims against negligent third parties. Third-party injury cases may allow workers to recover compensation for losses such as:
- Full lost wages
- Loss of future earning ability
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Permanent disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of normal quality of life
Our legal team carefully investigates every workplace accident to determine whether another party may share responsibility for the injury. In doing so, we strive to unlock additional compensation that helps you recover from your injuries and rebuild your life.
Workplace Accidents We Handle in Cleveland
Cleveland’s economy includes many dangerous industries, from construction and manufacturing to transportation and industrial operations. These workplaces expose workers to serious safety risks, but serious accidents can occur at almost any job site.
Our Cleveland workplace injury attorneys regularly handle cases involving:
- Construction site accidents
- Scaffold and ladder falls
- Forklift accidents
- Machinery malfunctions
- Warehouse injuries
- Industrial accidents
- Vehicle accidents occurring during work duties
- Electrical injuries
- Chemical exposure incidents
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Falling object accidents
- Workplace explosions and fires
Many of these accidents leave workers facing extensive medical treatment, long recovery periods, and uncertainty about their financial future.
What Causes Most Workplace Injuries in Cleveland?
Many workplace accidents are preventable and occur because of safety violations or dangerous conditions that go unaddressed. Common causes of workplace injuries include:
- Unsafe job sites
- Inadequate safety training
- Defective machinery or equipment
- Failure to provide protective gear
- Slippery floors or unsafe walkways
- Falling tools or materials
- Poor equipment maintenance
- OSHA safety violations
- Understaffing and excessive workloads
Determining exactly how the accident happened is one of the most important parts of any workplace injury investigation. In many cases, identifying the true cause of the accident also helps determine whether a third party may be legally responsible for additional damages.
We Help Workers Recover Compensation for All Types of Serious Workplace Injuries
Workplace accidents can cause catastrophic injuries that affect a person’s health, mobility, and ability to earn a living for years into the future. Indeed, on-the-job injuries are one of the leading causes of injury and accident death in Cleveland.
At Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, we regularly represent workers suffering from:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Herniated discs
- Severe burns
- Crush injuries
- Amputations
- Internal organ damage
- Neck and back injuries
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Nerve damage
- Wrongful death
We routinely work with medical specialists and economic experts to help evaluate our clients’ injuries and pinpoint the exact value of their past and future losses. Our goal is to get you maximum compensation and make you whole.
Can I Still Recover Compensation if I’m Partially Responsible for the Accident?
Ohio workers’ compensation benefits are generally considered no-fault benefits. This means injured workers may still qualify for workers’ compensation even if they made a mistake that contributed to the accident.
However, third-party personal injury claims operate differently. Ohio follows a modified comparative negligence system in personal injury cases. Under this rule, an injured person may still recover compensation as long as they are not more than 50% responsible for the accident.
However, compensation is reduced according to your percentage of fault. For example, if you suffered $300,000 in damages but are found 20% responsible, your recovery would be reduced to $240,000.
Insurance companies and third-party defendants often attempt to shift blame onto injured workers in order to reduce payouts. It’s not always true, and it’s not always fair. We can help you challenge any bad faith attempts to blame you for the accident.
How Long Do I Have To File a Workplace Injury Claim in Ohio?
Workplace injury claims involve strict deadlines under Ohio law. For workers’ compensation claims, injured workers generally should report the injury to their employer as soon as possible after the accident occurs. Failing to report the injury promptly can create complications with the claim process.
Third-party personal injury claims involve separate filing deadlines. In Ohio, many personal injury lawsuits generally must be filed within two years of the date of the accident.
Missing these important deadlines can prevent you from recovering compensation entirely. That’s why it is important to speak with an attorney as soon as possible after the injury.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Cleveland Workplace Injury Lawyer?
Workplace injury and third-party accident cases are generally handled through contingency fee agreements. This means there are no upfront attorney’s fees and no hourly billing while the case is ongoing.
Instead, attorneys’ fees come from a percentage of any settlement or verdict recovered on the client’s behalf. If your attorney fails to recover compensation, you generally do not owe attorney’s fees for the representation.
Contingency fee arrangements allow injured workers to pursue experienced legal representation without taking on additional financial stress during recovery. We provide contingency fee arrangements to all personal injury clients who come to us for legal assistance.
Contact a Cleveland Workplace Injury Lawyer Today for a Free Consultation
After a serious workplace accident in Cleveland, OH, you may feel pressure to simply accept whatever workers’ compensation benefits are offered and move on. However, you may be entitled to substantially more compensation if negligent third parties contributed to the accident.
The Cleveland workplace injury attorneys at Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers will help you evaluate all available legal claims after a serious workplace accident. Contact our office today for a free consultation to discuss your legal options and learn how we can help protect your future.