Injuries can happen anywhere, at any time. Some are only minor, but others require intense medical treatment.
You can get injured at work or in public; sometimes, they are completely accidental, and no single person is to blame. However, you may get injured due to another person’s (or people’s) negligence or error.
In the latter case, you might be in a position to file a claim against the person, people, or organization you believe is responsible for your injuries. For this, you’ll need to consult one of the Lamber Goodnow Injury Lawyers in Denver.
What Type of Injuries Warrant Hiring a Lawyer?
You might have been injured at work or in a public place and be unsure whether you’re in a position to take legal action.
It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to file a lawsuit if your injuries are caused by a freak accident that you can’t pinpoint to one person. However, if your injuries are due to another person failing to follow health and safety regulations or keep their building safe, you’re in a good position to file a legal claim.
You might file against your employer or the owner of the public facility where your accident occurred.
The question is, what type of injuries warrant hiring a personal injury lawyer? When should you take legal action, and in which cases are you the most likely to gain compensation for your injuries?
Slips and falls
We’ve all somehow managed to trip over our own feet. It happens, and we can’t do very much about it other than pick ourselves up off the floor and hope that nobody notices.
However, the majority of slip-and-fall incidents that occur in the workplace and public areas are not caused by a lack of coordination. Instead, they’re caused by a lack of proper health and safety.
Employers and business owners have a legal duty to keep their environment safe and secure for their employees and the public. This means following all legal health and safety regulations and taking action to resolve breaches in safety as quickly as possible.
Sadly, many business owners fail to comply with health and safety laws, which can increase the risk of accidents and injuries. The following slip-and-fall situations warrant hiring a personal injury lawyer:
- You slip and fall over on a wet floor that hasn’t been cleaned or properly signposted
- You trip on a piece of loose carpet
- Your trip and fall on a cable that isn’t correctly taped to the floor
- Your slip on a flight of stairs that are wonky, chipped, or wet
Falls
Falling from a great height is usually only an issue in construction areas or building sites, where people are working on large platforms and scaffolding. Employees in carpentry, decorating, or renovation-related roles are also at risk of falling and sustaining injuries.
Everybody is at risk of falling from a height in public spaces. For example, a customer might fall down the stairs in a retail store or trip down the escalator. While some falls are accidental and gravity is to blame, some are caused by poor health and safety measures.
Let’s take a look at some of the different types of falls and fall-related injuries that personal injury lawyers often represent for their clients:
- Construction workers who have fallen from unsafe scaffolding
- Renovation workers who have fallen from unsteady ladders
- Roofers or tree surgeons who have fallen due to wearing a faulty harness
- Warehouse employees who have fallen from a height due to poorly tested equipment
- Members of the public who have tripped and fallen down a long flight of stairs due to inadequate barriers or handles, or a lack of effective safety measures
If you find yourself in any of these situations, you should get in touch with a personal injury lawyer. You could get compensation for any physical injuries and psychological trauma you sustained due to your accident.
Repetitive muscle injuries
Repetitive muscle injuries occur from the ongoing repetitive movement of a certain muscle or joint. While they are only temporary in a lot of cases, they can worsen and cause permanent damage if you don’t address them quickly.
If your job requires you to perform repetitive movements, such as tying, sewing, writing, or folding and packing things every day, you’re at an increased risk of sustaining a repetitive muscle injury. Your employer should do everything that they can to reduce this risk and keep you safe. For example, they can provide ergonomic keyboards to reduce strain on your wrists as a typist.
If you don’t feel that your employer has done enough to keep you safe and you have developed repetitive muscle injuries, you may wish to hire a personal injury lawyer and take legal action against them.