Long Island Workplace Injury Lawyer

For some employees, like construction laborers, physical hazards are part of the job. For others, like those in office settings, the risk of sustaining an injury at work is more remote. In either situation, a worker who is hurt on the job has the right to seek compensation from his or her employer. That not only includes workers’ compensation benefits but also possible damages for negligence. The Long Island workplace injury lawyers at Duffy & Duffy represent individuals on Long Island and beyond who have been hurt on the job in various circumstances. We have decades of combined experience handling personal injury claims, and our track record of verdicts and settlements offers examples of the types of results that we pursue for our clients. We work closely with clients to understand their individual situation and goals in order to develop a personalized approach to each and every matter.

The Possibility of Third-Party Claims

In some situations, an accident may have occurred in a job setting that was the fault of someone other than the worker or the employer. When this happens, it may be possible to bring a third-party claim against the person or entity that was responsible. A manufacturer may have released a defective product, for example, that caused harm to an employee. He or she then might consider pursuing a lawsuit against that party to seek damages. Product liability cases can be based on manufacturing defects, design defects, or failures to warn. While manufacturing defects relate to a problem with a specific item, a design defect concerns an inherent issue with the entire model. A failure to warn claim may arise when a manufacturer fails to provide information about a product’s non-obvious risks.

Although many of these claims are based on strict liability, the worker still would need to clearly draw a direct causal link from the faulty product to the injuries in order to assert his or her right to compensation. The damages typically available in these cases can include money for missed work, medical bills, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. There are some situations in which the amount of compensation that you receive from a third-party claim can affect your benefits awarded through the workers’ compensation system, so you may want to discuss this situation with an attorney in advance.

There are strict time limits for filing injury claims in the state of New York. If you do not take legal action within the appropriate period, you may lose the right to seek compensation. This makes it especially critical for an injured worker to consult a Long Island attorney as soon as possible.