One of the things that makes us unique is that we will talk to anyone about their Illinois work injury and will answer your questions. A lot of those questions end up as blog posts, but some of them are great questions that wouldn’t make a great blog post. So every now and then we like to compile a list of those questions and tell our readers what our answers are. So in no particular order, here are some great questions we’ve received over the last few months. If you have any questions, fill out our contact form or call us for free at 312-346-5578.
Can my attorney pay me out of his pocket for my injury?
This person was frustrated that their claim had been denied and since his lawyer promised him it would be an easy case when he signed up, he wants the attorney to advance him the money that he is owed. This is illegal and if a lawyer does this, they can lose their license to practice law. Technically you can go to a “lawsuit loan” type company, but we advise against that as they charge ridiculous interest rates.
I have an old injury that has gotten worse lately. Am I able to file for workers comp on that old injury?
The answer to this one depends on whether or not you are within the statute of limitations for filing a case. But more importantly, we’d want to know if your current job duties have aggravated this pre-existing problem. If so it might make more sense to file a new claim based on the repetitive nature of your job activities making your injury worse. What we would recommend would be influenced by a lot of things including when you last saw a doctor, how long you’ve been in the current job, your age and a bunch of other factors.
Is it normal to have an IME if you are hurt on the job?
An IME or independent medical examination is when the insurance company sends you to a doctor of their choosing to make opinions on whether or not you were hurt at work and what treatment is needed. It doesn’t happen in every case, but it is normal. They are often hired guns, but it’s nothing to freak out about if you are being asked to go to an IME.
What are the odds of my lawyer winning my case?
Well, that depends on how experienced and hard working your lawyer is, but also on the facts of your case. A crappy lawyer can win a case where the injury is clear and obvious. The best lawyer in the world can’t help you if you are caught lying about how your got hurt. Every case is different, but encourage people to increase their chances of success by hiring an attorney who is almost exclusively handling work injuries, has experience, can show a history of taking cases to trial and gives great customer service to you.
How much money do you get for a back injury?
That depends on how serious your injury is, the treatment you’ve had, the recovery you made, your average weekly wage, your age, the future treatment you need, etc. In other words, if you want a real answer you need an attorney to have a lot of information that they can’t get in 30 seconds.
I fell while at work and hurt my knee, but my claim was denied, do I have a case?
In order to win a slip and fall on the job you either have to know what you slipped on (or at least that the floor or stairs were slippery), be hurrying for work (e.g. running to a meeting), be carrying items for work and have that lead to the fall or show something else about the job contributed to the problem. If you say you were walking and the next thing you know is you were on the ground and don’t know why, you will lose your case. If that’s the truth then it’s ok, but for most people they need to pause, look at their surroundings and figure out what happened.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us at any time. We cover all of Illinois.
