Chicopee Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts are home to numerous large construction supply stores, distribution centers and warehouse-style retail stores. These include companies such as Home Depot, Lowes, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco, Walmart and C&S Wholesale Grocers. Jobs at these and many smaller companies can involve strenuous labor, including stocking and delivering products on pallets and loading and off-loading trucks and forklifts at docks. Not all injuries, however, are from strenuous labor. Office, retail, health care and public service workers often are injured in fall-down and other incidents. Even seemingly minor injuries can develop into serious conditions such as CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome) which is the result of potentially permanent damage to the central or peripheral nervous systems. Whether you’re making a delivery or working at a construction site, working in a large company warehouse or in a small shop, store or office- when you have been injured on the job, you should call Atty. Robert W. Shute about receiving workers compensation benefits. After you have been injured and you’re focusing on your medical treatment and getting back to work, having to fight with insurance companies to get your lost wages or salary, to get your medical bills paid and to recoup other benefits is overwhelming. You don’t have to go it alone, adding stress to what you are going through. Attorney Shute welcomes your call to discuss your concerns, answer your questions and develop a strategic plan for your case. He knows the workers’ compensation insurance companies’ tactics and he won’t let them take advantage of you.
Chicopee Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts are home to numerous large construction supply stores, distribution centers and warehouse-style retail stores. These include companies such as Home Depot, Lowes, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco, Walmart and C&S Wholesale Grocers. Jobs at these and many smaller companies can involve strenuous labor, including stocking and delivering products on pallets and loading and off-loading trucks and forklifts at docks. Not all injuries, however, are from strenuous labor. Office, retail, health care and public service workers often are injured in fall-down and other incidents. Even seemingly minor injuries can develop into serious conditions such as CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome) which is the result of potentially permanent damage to the central or peripheral nervous systems. Whether you’re making a delivery or working at a construction site, working in a large company warehouse or in a small shop, store or office- when you have been injured on the job, you should call Atty. Robert W. Shute about receiving workers compensation benefits. After you have been injured and you’re focusing on your medical treatment and getting back to work, having to fight with insurance companies to get your lost wages or salary, to get your medical bills paid and to recoup other benefits is overwhelming. You don’t have to go it alone, adding stress to what you are going through. Attorney Shute welcomes your call to discuss your concerns, answer your questions and develop a strategic plan for your case. He knows the workers’ compensation insurance companies’ tactics and he won’t let them take advantage of you.
Call Any Time
(413) 592-0999
THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL reports that every 7 seconds a worker is injured, which totals approximately 4,600,000 injuries per year. High risk occupations include service work such as police and fire, transportation and shipping, manufacturing and production, repair, maintenance and construction. Common injuries result from falling, lifting and being injured by equipment or collapsing structures.
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses found that Nursing Assistants and Registered Nurses have the highest incidence of non-fatal work injuries and illnesses in Massachusetts.
WORK RELATED DEATHS- According to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, worker deaths in the Commonwealth are concentrated in the construction industry, followed by deaths due to transportation incidents such as motor vehicle crashes and workers killed by moving equipment.
What Others Are Saying
About Us
Call the Injury Law Office of Robert W. Shute Now, days, evenings and weekends for your Free Consultation with Atty. Shute personally. 413-592-0999 or 413-437-7788.
Workers’ Compensation Law in Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 152 is the state law that governs Workers’ Compensation Benefits. Workers Compensation benefits are paid on a “no-fault” basis meaning that any fault of the employee does not affect the benefits. There is a trade-off with the “no-fault” system, however, because workers’ compensation benefits are not as comprehensive as the monetary “damages” that are available in non work-related injuries. The sub-sections within c.152 set out the conditions for what benefits are payable, depending upon the extent of the injury to the employee.
- Medical Expenses
- Temporary Total Disability
- Permanent and Total Disability
- Partial Disability
- Permanent Loss of Function
- Death Benefits for Surviving Spouse
- Disfigurement and Scarring
- Lump Sum Settlements
- Vocational Rehabilitation
It is vitally important to have an attorney represent you when you are injured on the job. The insurance company is determined to pay you little or nothing for your injury. Attorney Shute’s focus is on you, the employee, and getting the benefits you rightfully deserve. Attorney Shute knows that each worker’s injury is unique and merits attention to details. Having skilled, knowledgeable and experienced legal representation to assemble and present the evidence necessary to prevail in complex workers compensation cases is essential.
Chicopee
333 Front St., Suite 4,
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Phone: (413) 592-0999
Workers’ Compensation Legal Fee Statute
Just as in other injury cases, workers’ compensation injury clients never have to pay a legal fee out-of-pocket. The legal fee in workers’ compensation is structured somewhat differently from most cases, however, because the fee is governed by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 152. Most non-work-related injury claims that are not resolved by a settlement agreement are resolved by filing a lawsuit in the Massachusetts District Court or Superior Court where a jury trial results in a verdict. Disputed Workers’ Compensation cases, however, are resolved by an administrative law judge at the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, known as the DIA.
When work injury cases are disputed at the DIA, the proceedings are divided into three main parts: Conciliation, Conference and Hearing. At the Conciliation, a DIA conciliator decides whether to move your case forward to the next phase, the Conference, where a judge will make a temporary order regarding payment of your wages and medical bills. When the judge rules in your favor at a Conference, the workers’ compensation insurance company has to pay Atty. Shute for his work on your case. Later, if the case does not settle by agreement, the case moves forward again to the third phase, a Hearing, where the judge makes a permanent ruling (subject to appeal) about payment of your wages and medical bills. Again, if the judge rules in your favor, the insurance company has to pay Atty. Shute for his work on your case. If your case settles by ”lump sum agreement” then the attorney’s fee set by Massachusetts law for work injuries is 20% of the settlement amount.
Free Case Evaluation
Learn Your Options
Call the Injury Law Office of Robert W. Shute Now, days, evenings and weekends for your Free Consultation with Atty. Shute personally. 413-592-0999 or 413-437-7788