I’ve been hurt at work-NOW WHAT?
You’ve been hurt on the job, and the doctor says you can’t work. Your family depends on you, but now you are unable to make ends meet. You’re hurt, frustrated, and just want your life to get back to normal.
You always thought that your employer would look out for you if something happened. Now it has, and they have turned the tables on you. Now you are on the defensive, and the worker’s compensation system has become a tangled web of insurance company adjusters, nurse case managers and doctors that the insurance company has chosen for you.
Ask yourself--who’s best interest is the insurance company working for--yours, or theirs?
Insurance companies are businesses, plain and simple. They are there to MAKE MONEY, pay dividends and answer to their stockholders and directors. If the insurance company sends you to a doctor for a “once over” exam without any expensive testing, and then releases you back to work when you are still hurt, they save money. Insurance companies make money by paying you as little as possible and providing the minimal amount of medical treatment they possibly can. If the insurance company ignores your complaints long enough, you could run out of time to pursue your claim altogether. Worker’s Compensation has THREE statutes of limitations! Miss any one of them, and your claim could be time-barred forever.
Ask yourself—how can I make sure that MY RIGHTS are protected?
Level the playing field. Workers compensation is a complicated, time sensitive and confusing system. Trying to take it on by yourself is overwhelming, and at times intimidating. If you are not knowledgeable about the value of your claim, the time frames that you have to meet, or the rights you are guaranteed under the law, the insurance company has the upper hand.
Ask yourself-do I NEED a lawyer?
Do you think that having a lawyer makes a difference? Here is what the Kansas Division of Worker’s Compensation compiles every year regarding filed claims:
Closed Claims Study
Attorney Involvement with Claim
Count Median Indemnity Median Medical Median Lump Sum*
Claimant Attorney Involved 374 $12,214.50 $8,655 $10,000.00
No Claimant Attorney 861 $2,011.00 $3,653 $5,464.50
All Cases 1,235 $3,233.00 $4,927 $7,609.00
Source: Kansas Division of Workers Compensation
*only 340 cases in the sample had lump sum settlements
Having an attorney meant getting nearly six times more indemnity (lost wages, etc.) more than double the medical treatment and almost twice the lump sum. Can you afford NOT to get an attorney?
You didn’t ask to get hurt, you just want to get back to work and to be treated fairly. You feel marginalized, and trapped in a system that seems unfair, biased and overly complicated.
You need a lawyer. Not just any lawyer, but a lawyer that extensively practices workers compensation. Work injuries require a lawyer with the knowledge and time to investigate and handle the claim properly, to timely file all required forms, and the skill and expertise to maximize your recovery. Worker’s Comp is my area of practice, and I have been practicing for 14 years. I have worked on both sides of the system, having done both high volume plaintiff’s work and insurance defense work prior to opening my own office in 2000.
Finally-ask yourself-what will your office do for me?
Let Besse Law Office represent you for nothing out of pocket. Our fees are only paid out of any eventual settlement we recover for you. You pay nothing until the case is resolved in it’s entirety, but our office makes sure that you get all the benefits that you are entitled to under the law. We can arrange for a change in treating doctors, and get a second opinion from another doctor if you are sent back to work while still hurt or if you need another opinion on treatment options. Lost wages, transportation, mileage, prescritions and medical treatment are all guaranteed under the law. When you are finished treating for your injury, a lump sum called permanent partial disability is awarded, and we will maximize your final award.
Our office is available after hours and on weekends if necessary, and I can meet you in your home or hospital if you cannot make it to see me. I always return phone calls the same day, and have an answering service that forwards to my cell phone should you need to contact me after regular business hours. I personally handle your case, not a paralegal or secretary, and I am involved in every step of the process. How many other lawyers can say that?
GET THE COMPENSATION YOU DESERVE. Call Today.
