Skip to Content
Long Island Work Injury Lawyer Handling Common Workplace Injury Cases Throughout Manhattan, Nassau County and Suffolk County
If you suffered a serious injury on the job in NYC or Long Island, you should hire an experienced Long Island workplace accident attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights and maximize your benefits. To get the best result, your work injury lawyer must understand the medical and legal issues involved, the type of work you do, how much you earn, whether you expect to lose time from work and whether your injuries are expected to be permanent.
At Turley Redmond & Rosasco, L.L.P., you will be represented by workplace accident attorneys with decades of focused experience in New York state workers’ compensation law. Unlike at some firms, you will work closely with our workers compensation lawyers rather than just paralegals. We take the time to get to know our clients so that we can be powerful advocates for them at hearings before judges of the New York Workers’ Compensation Board.
NY Workplace Accidents Happen Far Too Often – Our Attorneys Can Help
When it comes to workplace accidents and injuries, New York does well by national standards. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the incidence rate of non-fatal occupational injury and illness in New York was 2.2 per 100 workers in 2017, which is below the national average of 2.8. State incidence rates range from a high of 4.8 in Maine to a low of 1.5 in the District of Columbia. However, even with New York’s comparatively low incidence rates, workplace accidents are still far too common, especially considering that even a single workplace injury can potentially devastate a worker’s health, career and finances.
Below, our Manhattan and Long Island work injury lawyer provides a statistical overview of workplace accidents and injuries in the state of New York. f you have been injured at work or while performing work-related duties outside of the office, contact our firm today.
New York Occupational Accidents: By Industry
As we frequently note, rates of workplace accidents and injuries are not evenly distributed across industrial sectors. Generally, the more physically demanding a particular profession is, the more likely it is that workers in that profession will suffer physical injuries. What this equates to in the real world is that workers in blue-collar professions suffer higher incidence rates of workplace accidents and injuries than workers in white-collar professions. BLS’s Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses data bears this out with comparative incidence rates by industry:
- State government: 7.8 per 100 employees
- Natural resources and mining: 6.1 per 100 employees
- Local government: 5.9 per 100 employees
- Education and health services: 3.1 per 100 employees
- Construction: 2.9 per 100 employees
- Manufacturing: 2.9 per 100 employees
- Trade, transportation, and utilities: 2.9 per 100 employees
- Leisure and hospitality: 2.8 per 100 employees
- Professional and business services: 1.0 per 100 employees
- Financial activities: 0.8 per 100 employees
While it may seem counterintuitive that state and local governments rank so highly, these are both very broad industries that take into account a number of both white and blue-collar professions (including police officers, firefighters, and corrections staff), thus resulting in higher-than-expected incidence rates.
New York Workplace Accidents: By Incident Type
Just as workplace accident incidence rates are not uniform across industries, some types of accidents are also much more common than others. According to the New York State Department of Health, the following were the leading causes of work-related hospitalizations from 2012-2014:
- Falls (40% of all hospitalizations)
- Struck by, against (8% of all hospitalizations)
- Machinery (7% of all hospitalizations)
- Moving vehicle traffic, occupant (6% of all hospitalizations)
- Cut/pierce (5% of all hospitalizations)
- Unspecified (4% of all hospitalizations)
- Hot object/scald (4% of all hospitalizations)
- Overexertion (3% of all hospitalizations)
- Assault (2% of all hospitalizations)
- Transport, non-traffic (2% of all hospitalizations)
Of the top 10 leading causes of work-related hospitalizations, 9 were due to unintentional injury, while only one (assault) was due to intentional injury.
What are the Most Common Claims a Workplace Accident Attorney Handles?
Every workers’ compensation attorney at our firm has handled all types of accidents and injuries, from fractures and strains to permanent and catastrophic injuries, including fatal injuries:
If you suffered a serious injury on the job in New York, you should hire an experienced Manhattan or Long Island work injury lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights and maximize your benefits. To get the best result, your attorney must understand the medical and legal issues involved, the type of work you do, how much you earn, whether you expect to lose time from work and whether your injuries are expected to be permanent.
Every New York and Long Island work injury lawyer at our firm has handled all types of accidents and injuries, from fractures and strains to permanent and catastrophic injuries. The most common types of workplace injuries include the following:
Back and neck injuries are by far the most common work-related injuries. A serious back or neck injury can affect your whole body and cause disabling pain, resulting in extended lost time from work. Fully half of all workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability claims handled by our legal team are back and neck injuries. Yet employers and insurers tend to be skeptical of back injuries, and such claims are frequently denied.
Brain injury or head trauma is usually the result of a blow or sudden jolt to the head. These types of injuries can be severe, affecting normal brain function and cognitive abilities. If these types of injuries occurred while on the job, and have prevented you or a loved one from returning to work, it is important to obtain workers’ compensation benefits, as well as all necessary medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Burn injuries can be physically and emotionally painful, and typically are extremely complicated to treat. Often a burn injury will require multiple reconstructive or skin graft surgeries, and they may lead to permanent scarring or other disfigurements. Surgeries or traumatic amputations also can cause disfigurement or scars.
Eyesight or hearing damage: Employers have an obligation to protect workers from excessive noise in the workplace. Additionally, precautions should be taken to prevent eyesight injury such as providing appropriate safety goggles or eliminating hazardous conditions. If you have suffered vision or hearing loss as a result of an injury or prolonged exposure, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical bills and a percentage of your weekly wages.
Lower extremity damage: If you have a serious injury to your hip, leg, knee, ankle, foot or toes, you may be unable to work for a period of time and thus you may be eligible for weekly workers’ compensation benefits. You may need a work injury lawyer to get the right treatment and the necessary time to heal. In addition, these injuries are often permanent and will result in a cash settlement (Schedule Loss of Use or SLU award) after you reach maximum medical improvement.
Loss of Limb/Loss of Use: An amputation, loss of limb or loss of use of limb can be catastrophic and alter all aspects of a person’s life. If the injury occurred on the job, a worker may be entitled to a Schedule Loss of Use (SLU) cash award in addition to standard workers’ compensation benefits. The award amount varies depending on the body part and extent of permanent disability.
Upper extremity injuries: Injuries to limbs and joints of the upper extremities often cause permanent injuries, entitling injured workers to one-time case awards from the Workers’ Compensation Board known as Schedule Loss of Use (SLU) awards. Even with therapy or surgery, you may have to live with chronic pain and significant loss of function for the rest of your life that affects your current job and future employment prospects.
In addition to claims arising from a specific accident or incident, a work injury lawyer from our firm can handle repetitive stress injuries (carpal tunnel syndrome, neck injuries and trigger finger) that occur from overuse or cumulative damage over time. Our work injury law firm also handles work-related deaths, pursuing workers’ compensation death benefits on behalf of the surviving family members.
Occupational Illnesses and Diseases Eligible for Workers Compensation in New York
At Turley Redmond & Rosasco, L.L.P., our workers’ compensation attorneys have decades of experience handling occupational illnesses and diseases, among several other types of workplace injury cases. We thoroughly investigates your case, using our legal knowledge and insight, as well as the input from experts that may be enlisted to help determine who is responsible for you injuries. We understand the impact that any work-related injury can have on your life and aggressively pursue the compensation you deserve from any and all negligent parties.
Toxic Exposure: Employees in any type of workplace are at risk of being exposed to harmful chemicals. Whether these are every day cleaning supplies or chemicals involved in manufacturing, any toxic exposure can result in devastating and fatal injuries. If you have been injured due to toxic exposure on the job, we can help.
Pulmonary Conditions: If your job is taking its toll on your lungs, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to pay for medical care, lost wages and disability arising from your cardiopulmonary disease. However, your work injury lawyer must demonstrate a direct link between your job and your condition.
Stroke: Heavy physical effort on the job may contribute to a stroke that is job-related and workers’ compensation may be available to you for stroke-related disability.
Asbestos: Because of the delay in symptoms, linking asbestos exposure to a particular workplace can be a challenge. Turley Redmond & Rosasco has helped mesothelioma patients recover vital workers’ compensation benefits for more than a quarter-century.
Repetitive Stress Injuries: You have performed the same tasks over and over in your job without any problems. One day you notice debilitating symptoms that seem to have appeared gradually or may have occurred all at once. At first, you may not even have associated the pain and discomfort with your job. For this reason, repetitive stress injuries can be difficult to diagnose and are often challenged by employers and their workers’ compensation insurance companies. Fortunately, a knowledgeable workers’ comp lawyer can help.
A New York Work Injury Lawyer Will Maximize Your Medical and Lost Wage Benefits
Your employer or its workers’ compensation insurance carrier is obligated to pay for medical expenses and future care stemming from a work-related injury. This includes emergency room treatment, diagnostic tests, hospitalization, doctor visits, medications, medical equipment, physical therapy and necessary surgery.
Turley Redmond & Rosasco will advocate for you in the claims process, and in hearings and appeals, if you are denied surgery or other treatment necessary to your recovery, or if you are pressured to return to work prematurely or threatened with termination of your medical benefits.
Similarly, if your claim was denied or if your weekly benefits do not reflect the degree of disability or your total earnings, a work injury lawyer can intervene to set things right.
Hardworking New York and Long Island Lawyers Committed to Your Recovery – Contact a Workplace Accident Attorney Today
Please see our workers’ comp FAQ pages or arrange a free consultation with a work injury lawyer at our firm to discuss your injuries and our abilities. Call the TRR firm toll free at 1-877-693-2529 or contact us online. We have several offices located in Manhattan and on Long Island — in both Nassau County (Garden City) and Suffolk County (Shirley and Ronkonkoma.) Our Long Island workplace accident attorneys are standing by ready to help.
