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Personal Injury vs Workers Compensation

When someone gets injured at work they assume their only option is to file for workers compensation. However, in some situations the injured worker is able to file a personal injury claim. Understanding the differences between a personal injury and a workers compensation claim are essential for obtaining maximum benefits. Although a personal injury can occur during work hours, filing them as a personal injury lawsuit or a workers compensation claim depend on different factors. The three main factors include:

Damages: One key difference in damages is workers compensation is not entitled to receive pain and suffering benefits. In a workers compensation case, the injured worker receives impairment benefits, medical bill coverage, and weekly compensation. However, in a personal injury lawsuit, you may receive all the damages that you suffered such as pain and suffering, lost earnings, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Determining Fault: Accidents happen everyday but in order to recover damages in a personal injury case, you and your lawyer must prove that the other person neglected the safety of his/her property. However, because workers compensation is a no fault system, you do not need to prove you, your employer, or co-workers did anything wrong in order to receive benefits.

Right to Sue: Once the injured worker files for workers compensation they cannot file a lawsuit against their employer. They forfeit their right to sue once they are in the process of receiving workers compensation benefits. However, in a personal injury case, the injured worker may sue for their injuries and suffering.

An easy way to determine whether to file for personal injury or workers compensation is to figure out who is liable for the injury. The difference between personal injury and workers compensation has to do with liability. Once you understand who is liable for the injury you can quickly see which position to take.