State Worker Compensation laws protect workers with insurance to cover medical expenses and lost earnings because of injuries suffered on the job. These laws also limit lawsuits by injured employees against their employers—however, this restriction does not apply to lawsuits against third parties whose negligence caused the injuries.
Common situations in which injuries on-the-job may give rise to a right to file a lawsuit against a third party, in addition to being Worker Compensation insurance claim, are the following:
- An employee who has an accident while driving his employer’s vehicle may sue both the owner and driver of the other vehicle for their negligence in causing the accident.
- An employee injured while operating a piece of equipment may have a right to sue its manufacturer and supplier for producing and selling a defective product.
- An unsafe or hazardous condition at a job site may provide the basis for a lawsuit against the owner of the site, the general contractor in charge of the site, and the person or company responsible for creating the condition. For example, a hole left unprotected in the floor of a building under renovation could be the subject of a lawsuit if a worker fell and was injured.
- Equipment operated by third parties at a job site can cause injury to workers. In such a situation, the injured worker would have a right to sue the operator of the equipment and the company for whom that person worked.
Employees injured at work must not assume that Worker Compensation insurance is their only resource for Compensation. Our attorneys have the experience to determine if the facts support a lawsuit against a third party.
Florida Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
If you’ve become injured on the job, contact workers compensation law firm at Sternberg | Forsythe, P.A. or call at 561-687-5660 to make sure you claim is paid accordingly. Our West Palm Beach, Boca Raton & Orlando offices serving all of Florida.