Yes, even if you get your worker’s compensation insurance coverage, you can still hire a Salem personal injury lawyer to file a suit. Sometimes, the worker’s comp insurance won’t cover the full amount of your treatment. If you cannot resume your job duties because you were too badly injured, you may have to take a different, lower-paying job. Worker’s comp doesn’t cover the difference between what you were making and what you’re making now.
However, when you file a workplace injury lawsuit, your personal injury attorneys in Salem, OR, may add compensation for your loss of earning potential — bonuses and career advancement that you can no longer be eligible for because you can’t do the job that would have earned them. Sometimes, the defendant (your employer) had a history of overlooking potential workplace hazards or consistently failing to maintain equipment, making the work environment dangerous. In these cases, the defendant’s actions were so egregious your lawyer may ask for punitive damages to financially punish the company for wrongdoing. That money goes to you — and you won’t get that from worker’s comp insurance.