While any Illinois workers’ compensation attorney can handle a case, there are some industries where having experience with the employer can be important. For me, that’s true when it comes to choosing a lawyer to represent you in a case against the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
The CTA has a reputation for making things difficult for their injured employees. They are big on using their own doctor and seem to wrongly classify cases as not work comp a lot or simply deny or delay benefits without good cause or any reason at all. Another common defense they use is saying you shouldn’t have a case because your condition is pre-existing. They will do this even if evidence shows that you were fine before the job made your problem worse or if the law isn’t on their side.
The Chicago Transit Authority has around 9,000 employees and doesn’t just cover Chicago, but also 35 different suburbs. There are literally thousands of buses and rail cars in action every single day.
While some of the injuries CTA workers face are typical such as a lifting injury, others are unique. For example, many bus drivers sustain back injuries from the shock of bouncing up and down while driving all day or hitting potholes. Those cases are often fought by the CTA but are usually legitimate. This is where having an attorney who has handled a similar case successfully is a huge advantage.
Other unique factors about these injuries involve how crowded the streets are, how violent some passengers can be, or even understanding what a lineman or rail mechanic does every day on the job. That type of knowledge is really important when proving a repetitive trauma case or in situations where a worker has permanent restrictions.
Then of course there’s the issue of a potential third-party (personal injury) lawsuit from an accident. Every day buses are hit by negligent drivers, or workers are sent to unsafe places that can cause an accident and injuries. So having a law firm that can handle both cases can be important as well.
Finally, we have helped a lot of Chicago Transit Authority workers who have psychological injuries. These cases have involved trauma after being attacked by riders or people in the area where the buses/trains are kept, PTSD from seeing a shooting or death, and even trauma after a sexual assault on the job. These experiences help future clients with similar situations.
If you would like to be connected with an experienced Chicago work comp attorney to discuss your case, please call us any time at 312-346-5578. All calls are free and confidential.
