Your life after an on-the-job injury may never be the same as it was before. You may have to struggle with adjusting to life after suffering a catastrophic injury, such as an amputation injury, loss of hearing, vision impairment, severe back injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which could prevent you from working temporarily or even permanently. Employees who are hurt on the job, generally, have the option to pursue workers compensation benefits, which can provide them with money to afford medical treatment, rehabilitation costs and living expenses due to loss of income.Unfortunately, independent contractor workers compensation benefits are not available in Ohio. However, in some cases, independent contractors injured on the job in Ohio do have options available to recover compensation, including self-employed workers comp insurance, personal injury claims and third party liability claims.
Employers carry workers compensation insurance to prevent their company and their employees from suffering due to workplace accidents. Workers comp insurance pays medical expenses and provides loss of income benefits to injured employees and their families as long as the on-the-job injury was the result of an employer or co-worker’s negligence. However, since independent contractors are not considered employees, they are not eligible for workers comp benefits. This issue often comes into play on construction sites where employees, contractors and subcontractors work together, which can lead to contractors suffering injuries due to negligence on the part of the construction company, a construction company employee or a fellow contractor. In addition, there are instances where companies will purposely categorize employees as independent contractors to avoid providing them with benefits, such as health insurance, paid leave and workers compensation.
Depending on the circumstances involved in their employment status as well as their injury, independent contractors may be able to pursue one or more of the following to recover workplace injury benefits:
Just because you are an independent contractor does not mean that you do not have options if you were injured on the job due to another’s negligence. The experienced workplace injury lawyers at Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC may be able to help you recover compensation for hospital bills, physical therapy costs and lost income. Our law firm has been successfully helping injury victims and their families in Columbus and throughout Ohio since 1929. We offer free consultations where you can discuss your situation with a work injury attorney confidentially and without any obligation to hire our firm. We will review your case, answer your questions and tell you whether or not you are in a position to file a work injury claim. To learn more about independent contractor on-the-job injuries and how we can help you, give us a call or submit a case review form to set up a free consultation with an experienced work injury lawyer today.
“I am very blessed to have found this firm. They have made sure that I have received all the compensation possible related to my claim. This is the firm I would recommend to my own family members and anyone else in need of legal representation due to work related injuries.”
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