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What employees should know about Virginia workers’ compensation
A work illness or injury can result in a significant financial burden. Virginia workers can apply for benefits from workers’ compensation under these circumstances.
Review the facts about thestate workers’ compensation program if you or a loved one has experienced a work-related injury or illness.
Filing for benefits
Virginia requires you to tell your employer immediately if you get hurt on the job or receive a diagnosis of an illness related to your job. You can lose the right to collect benefits if you wait longer than 30 days to provide this notification.
Once your employer receives notice of your illness or injury, they have 10 days to file a workers’ compensation claim on your behalf. You can also file a direct claim with workers’ compensation.
Understanding available compensation
Some of the costs covered by workers’ compensation include lost wages, travel expenses to and from medical appointments, medical devices, prescription drugs, surgeries and other treatments, emergency transportation bills, physical therapy, hospitalization, and other costs related to the injury or illness.
4 things to remember after a car crash
You cannot prepare for a car crash. Unexpected and often violent, crashes can cause serious injury and financial hardship.
While you cannot prepare, there are a few simple things you can try to remember to do if you ever suffer a collision that will help you going forward.
1. Do not admit fault
Regardless of whether you truly feel at fault or not, do not verbally admit fault to the other driver, or to police at the scene of the accident. Do not sign any written statement admitting fault. When you admit fault, you put yourself at a disadvantage in regards to any future settlement or lawsuit.
2. Report the accident to the police
Always report any accident, no matter the circumstances or severity. Police will note the details, interview witnesses and take photographs. Information gathered and reported by police is official evidence in any potential case. Without a police report, it will be your word against that of the other driver.
3. Seek medical treatment
Do not delay in seeking medical treatment after a car crash. Adrenaline and shock might prevent you from feeling pain immediately.
3 serious problems with car backup cameras
Since 2018, all new vehicles sold in the U.S. must have a backup camera. This safety enhancement sends footage from behind a vehicle into its passenger cabin.
While backup cameras may help some drivers avoid collisions, they may also not be as safe as you think. Here are three potentially serious problems with car backup cameras.
1. A false sense of security
Because backup cameras only have an 80-degree visual field, they simply cannot be a driver’s only source of information. Nevertheless, if a car has a backup camera, its driver may rely too much on it.
Before reversing a vehicle, the driver should carefully examine the space around it. This may require glancing over the shoulder or using a vehicle’s rear-view and side mirrors. If the driver exclusively uses the backup camera and skips these steps, he or she may put others at risk.
2. Distracted backing
Many backup cameras use multimedia screens that also show maps, music, climate controls and other vehicle features. Still, when reversing a vehicle, the driver must maintain focus. If the camera’s screen or its many features distract the driver, he or she may inadvertently cause a collision.
Who can be held liable for fatal truck accidents?
It is no secret that accidents involving semi-trucks in northern Virginia are often fatal. After all, a semi-truck weighing tens of thousands of pounds has the laws of physics on its side and is simply no match for a standard automobile.
Things are especially tragic when the loved one lost is your spouse, especially if they were the breadwinner in the family. The surviving spouse in such situations has not only lost the love of their life, but they may be worried about how to make ends meet. In situations like this, they may want to pursue a wrongful death claim. However, lawsuits based on semi-truck accidents differ in some ways from traditional personal injury and wrongful death claims, specifically, in identifying the responsible parties.
Potential parties: trucking companies
In a wrongful death claim, you must be able to show that the other party was negligent, and this negligence lead to your loved one’s death. In accidents involving semi-trucks, sometimes the trucking company will be held liable for the trucker’s negligence if the two had an employer-employee relationship. This is due to the legal doctrine of "respondeat superior." Basically, this doctrine means that an employer is responsible for the acts of an employee if the acts took place within the course of the employee’s job duties.
What can workers’ compensation benefits in Virginia help with?
Workers’ compensation benefits can serve as a lifeline for injured workers and their families following a workplace accident and its aftereffects. As a result, it is important for injured workers and their families to be familiar with the different types of benefits workers’ compensation provides.
Virginia workers compensation benefits include:
- Lifetime medical benefits: injured workers can receive payment for medical expenses related to their injury or occupational illness. Payment can include out-of-pocket medical costs, prescriptions and medically-related transportation expenses.
- Wage loss replacement: injured workers can receive wage loss replacement for temporary total disability or temporary partial disability when the injured worker has a medically-authorized disability preventing them from working.
- Permanent partial disability: injured workers who are permanently partially disabled may recover benefits for the loss of the use of a body part; amputation; loss of hearing or vision; bodily disfigurement or scarring; or lung disease.
Picking the right doctor can prevent a bad workers’ compensation outcome
The accident that struck at work can leave you with all kinds of complications. You’ll likely need to rely on the benefits from workers’ compensation to get through your recovery, but starting your claim off on the wrong foot could cost you coverage before it even starts.
Workplace accidents cost an average of around $40,000 per case. You’ll want to do what you can to make sure workers’ compensation covers the bulk of your treatment. One of the first steps is likely picking your doctor, which could be one of the most important decisions you make throughout the process.
Health claims
Your physician will play a key role in handling your case, so you’ll want to make sure your choice provides you with the best shot at getting better while staying true to state guidelines:
- Pre-approval: You can’t pick any doctor you please to take charge of your case, in most circumstances. Your employer will usually present you with a list of approved physicians to choose from, and deviating from the allowable pool could put your claim in jeopardy.
The fundamental flaw in self-driving vehicles
Car manufacturers are creating technology that allows vehicles to drive without human engagement. While the thought of this is futuristic and somewhat appealing to many, to others, it is a recipe for disaster.
In the years since self-driving cars debuted, automated driving presents a plethora of challenges for other vehicles out on the road. Discover why this newest driving advance may need to take a backseat for a few years.
Making split-second decisions
Cars with automatic braking have become a popular option. A car that stops itself faster when an unexpected barrier presents itself is appealing. This is not self-driving, but defensive maneuvering that only engages should front cameras and sensors flag an object too close for the current speed. While this same technology is in self-driving vehicles, it is there for a very different purpose: The driver is not actively driving, and therefore, will not brake. In this scenario, it becomes less about getting a split-second head start and more about necessity in stopping a serious crash.
Can technology prevent single-vehicle motorcycle crashes?
Many motorcycle riders are out and about in Virginia, especially with the advent of pleasant summer weather. Unfortunately, motorcyclists are vulnerable to accidents.
Often the fault for a crash rests with the motorist involved, but sometimes single-vehicle motorcycle crashes occur. Safety innovators are working with new technology to help prevent such accidents.
Case in point
On June 3, 2019, at about 11 p.m., a Navy petty officer was riding his motorcycle along Campostella Road in Chesapeake, VA, when he ran off the road. He crashed into a utility pole and died at the scene. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the accident.
A study proposes technology help
The goal of a 2018 National Transportation Safety Board study was to examine risk factors leading to motorcycle crashes and recommend strategies to prevent accidents. After analyzing federal crash data, the NTSB researchers determined that certain safety innovations could reduce the number of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes. Their findings indicated that motorcycles with state-of-the-art stability control systems can mitigate the loss of control that precedes this kind of crash. Consequently, this safety technology could reduce the number of riders who become injured or die by running into a fixed object, such as a tree, a guardrail or a utility pole, as was the case with the Navy petty officer.
Are you aware of these risk factors for motorcycle accidents?
Now that spring is here, motorcycle riding season is back. There are plenty of scenic rides in the area to enjoy. But remember that as fun as riding is, it also comes with more than its fair share of danger. In fact, data from the Insurance Institute for Highways Safety reveal that 14 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities involved bikers.
You are probably already aware of common safety practices such as wearing protective gear and visible clothing, checking for driver blind spots before changing lanes, and slowing down in unfavorable weather. However, are you aware of the following risk factors and how to avoid them?
Impairment
As much as passenger cars are to blame for many motorcycle accidents, unfortunately, bikers are sometimes at fault as well. One of the biggest contributors is impairment from alcohol or drugs. The aforementioned IIHS report shows that the BAC of 28 percent of bikers who died in 2017 was at or above the legal limit. The number rose to 49 percent when just looking at nighttime fatalities.
Common cashier injury risks
There are a lot of industries that utilize cashiers, such as retail stores, banks, supermarkets, coffee shops, restaurants and more. If you are a cashier, you may not think your job is a big deal. However, your occupation is necessary for many places to stay in business. Additionally, you may not believe cashiering is a dangerous job, but there are many risks you face every day.
Here is a look at some ways you can sustain an injury as a cashier.
Repetitive stress
Scanning items may seem like a mundane and simple task. But when you scan thousands of items for eight hours straight, it can begin to take a toll on your physical health. These repetitive movements can cause damage to your arms, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Common injuries that may develop because of repetitive motions include carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and rotator cuff injuries. You can avoid these injuries by taking frequent breaks and performing stretches.
Back problems
When you stand all day and bend slightly, this puts a lot of pressure on the muscles, discs and bones in your back, resulting in pain, stiffness and nerve damage. You may also suffer back injuries from lifting heavy bags or objects. Taking breaks and standing straight can help you reduce back pain.
Our law firm has offices in Winchester and Manassas, and we provide legal services to clients throughout Virginia, including Prince William County, Woodbridge, Haymarket, Gainesville, Front Royal, Berryville, Boyce, Fairfax, Strasburg, Woodstock, and Warrenton.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
