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Coping With Legal Issues

When I started getting into trouble I became pretty acclimated to legal procedures. Calling my attorney and working out bail was just another way to spend a Saturday night. Unfortunately, the stiffer the charges, the more difficult it was to talk my way out of a bad situation. After so many charges, I found myself slapped with a long jail sentence, and I realized that I wanted to turn things around. Fortunately, my lawyer was able to walk me through yet another process, so that I could make the right changes. My blog discusses how to emotionally cope with legal issues so that you can start living a good life.

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Coping With Legal Issues

Getting Hurt On The Job: Things That Don't Count For Worker's Comp

by Lillian Wheeler

Worker's compensation benefits exist for the purpose of creating financial stability for those injured and supplying money for medical expenses while you are out of work. However, there are several situations where your injuries are NOT covered by worker's comp, or your case is something other than workers comp. Consult with a workers compensation attorney, such as at Oxner + Permar, LLC.

Broken Bones (from Fights with or Attacks by Co-Workers)

Fights with co-workers will most definitely result in injury. Broken bones and damaged teeth are common. No one would willingly engage in such behavior because most companies will fire you if you do. However, a co-worker that sucker-punches you in the face for his or her own reasons and then you do not return the punch is an assault.

Either way, the co-worker(s) that commit the assault will be out of a job and, unfortunately, you may not be able to claim worker's compensation even though the incident took place on company property. You would have to prove that the assault or fight prevented you from returning to work of your own volition, or that you could not perform the expected job duties as a result of the injuries. The only real and honest way to claim worker's comp in this situation is if the company knowingly hired a violent person with a track record and a penchant for assaulting people, which constitutes company negligence.

Attempting to Fix Dangerous Machinery (with Signs Posted)

Many employees on the company production line want to stay employed, impress the boss, etc. As such, you may want to fix the dangerous machines near your job station when they jam up or break down. If signs are posted that clearly state NOT to open up or place arms, hands, legs, feet or heads into these machines, and you do it anyway, you may be denied for worker's comp when you lose body parts from crushing or slicing injuries. The rules for acceptable circumstances vary from state to state, so check with a workers comp attorney.

This is actually a personal injury or a disability case rather than a workers comp case, depending on the full circumstances. Rather than inform your boss of the problem, or seek help from a qualified repair technician for said machine, you placed body parts inside and lost them. At best, you may still keep your job and return to work when you have healed, without worker's comp. At worst, you will probably be fired, without pay, and remain unemployed because of your injuries.

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