Saginaw Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury Law Firm

Helping Michigan Injury Victims for Two Decades

An injury can derail every area of your life in minutes. One moment, you’re doing your job or driving down the street with your family, and the next you’re faced with problems you never imagined: severe pain, huge medical bills, lost work time, perhaps even the need for extensive rehabilitation or permanent life changes.

When you’re facing this type of traumatic shift in your life, it may be difficult to gather information and make good decisions about how best to protect yourself and your family. You’ll likely need compensation to cover your medical expenses and make up for lost income, but you may not know who to trust, how to manage the process, or even who may be responsible for your injury.

Whether you’ve been injured on the job or have been in a serious motor vehicle accident, Burns Law can help. Attorney Timothy S. Burns has devoted nearly 20 years to helping people who have suffered serious injuries get the compensation they need to move forward with their lives.

Saginaw Workers’ Compensation Claims

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Michigan workers suffer more than 100,000 work-related injuries and illnesses each year. In 2015, more than 53,000 cases resulted in lost work time, job transfers, or work restrictions. Unsurprisingly, most serious injuries occur in industries involving physical labor, machinery, and heavy materials. For example, there were more than 26,000 cases in the manufacturing industry, but fewer than 1,000 in insurance and finance.

However, Michigan workers’ compensation law protects employees across industries, whether a work injury is sustained in a construction accident or slipping and falling on a customer’s porch. The workers’ compensation system is designed to make sure that an injured worker can get the medical care he or she needs, and has access to compensation for other losses, such as lost income.

Working with a Saginaw Workers’ Compensation Attorney

In theory, the workers’ compensation process is less adversarial than personal injury litigation. Unfortunately, some employers and workers’ compensation insurance carriers put up a fight—and not necessarily because they believe an injured employee isn’t entitled to compensation. Like any insurance company, a workers’ compensation insurance company makes money by taking in more money in premiums than it pays out in compensation.

The less compensation you receive, the better it is for the insurer’s bottom line.

Since an injured worker can’t be certain that the employer or the workers’ compensation carrier has his or her best interests at heart, an experienced local workers’ compensation attorney can provide important protection. When you hire a workers’ compensation lawyer to represent you, that lawyer’s only allegiance is to you. His goal is to secure the most comprehensive compensation possible for you, whether through workers’ compensation or through a third-party claim.

If you’ve been injured on the job, why not take the first step toward protecting your rights and recovering fair compensation right now? Just call 844-BURNSLAW (844-287-6752) to schedule a free consultation.

Third-Party Claims in Work Injury Cases

To receive workers’ compensation, an injured employee need not show that anyone was negligent or responsible for the injury. The fact that he or she was injured in the course of employment is sufficient. However, workers’ compensation benefits are limited.

In many cases, someone other than the employer is wholly or partly responsible for the injury. For example, a delivery driver might be injured while dropping off a package, because the recipient’s property was poorly maintained. In that case, the driver might be eligible for workers’ compensation, but also have a premises liability claim against the recipient of the package.

Often, third-party claims lead to more significant damages awards than are available under workers’ compensation law.

Saginaw Motor Vehicle Accident Claims

More than 5,000 motor vehicle accidents occurred in Saginaw County in 2016. These crashes resulted in more than 1,500 injuries, and 14 people were killed. Too often, car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle crashes are the result of negligence. For example, other drivers may:

• Text while driving
• Drive too fast for conditions
• Disregard traffic signals
• Fail to signal a turn or lane change
• Drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol

In some cases, parties not involved in the accident may share responsibility. Examples include:

• The manufacturer of a faulty tire, braking system, or other component that contributed to the accident
• A governmental entity or private party that failed to maintain the roadway, parking lot, or other area where the accident took place

When you’ve been injured in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, it is important that you identify all possible responsible parties. Pursuing compensation against just one party when others may have contributed to the accident can limit your recovery, or even mean losing your case.

An experienced motor vehicle accident attorney can help determine who may be responsible for your accident, and gather the evidence necessary to build the strongest possible case on your behalf. If you’ve been injured in a car or motorcycle accident, or are a pedestrian or bicyclist who was injured by a motor vehicle, your next step should be to seek advice from a personal injury lawyer with a strong background in car accident cases.

Get Help with Your Saginaw Injury Case

Whether you’ve been injured on the job, hit by a car, involved in a motorcycle accident, or the victim of a traffic crash with another vehicle, it’s in your best interests to educate yourself about your rights and options as soon as possible. Schedule a free consultation with Attorney Timothy S. Burns right now—just call 844-BURNSLAW (844-287-6752).