My husband worked 1 day/wk on a dock for a newspaper company. The 1st wk in Dec he went in early to get his check. They have a set of movable steps they use to get from the ground up to the dock. These steps stay stationary & locked. He went up the stairs fine but when he came down someone had moved them & didn't lock them back so he fell 5 ft to the ground landing on his ankle. He didn't feel a great deal of pain at first. His supervisor asked if he was OK but that's it. No incident report no worker's comp filed nothing. He went home & the pain started setting in BIG TIME! He went to the emergency room & was told it was severely bruised. He was out of work for 3 wks straight & had to use crutches. However, as a result, he lost his job! To top things off the hospital bill was $1,100 & he has no insurance. Isn't it his employer's responsibility to pay this bill since he was hurt on their premises? I don't think it's fair for him to lose his job or to have to pay this bill.
2007-01-22 15:45:11 · 8 answers · asked by BEEN THERE 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
get lawyer go to therapy and get compensated properly
2007-01-22 15:48:09 · answer #1 · answered by wise 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, was your husband clocked in to work? Did he work after he fell or was he just there to get a paycheck? If he wasn't clocked in and working at the time of the accident, you might not have a case for work comp and lawyers are very expensive. Before you do anything, really look into your state's work comp laws and see what they say about being injured before you are clocked in. Workerscompensation.com is really a great website that I use often. If you find that it should be work comp, first go to the employer and share the information you have found. If they still do not cooperate tell them that you are going to contact your state's work comp board. The employer can get into a lot of trouble for not reporting an injury. If you don't have a case for worker's comp, you may have a case for a civil suit. He was hurt on THEIR property, because someone else didn't lock the steps back into place. Good luck!
2007-01-24 09:23:21 · answer #2 · answered by Erin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find a lawyer that will represent you for nothing. By this I mean they will represent your husband if they think he has a valid case and you can sue for much more than the hospital bill. I once fell in a mall ladies rest room. It took about a year for them to settle out of court but I received $50,000. Of course you have to share in part with your legal representative but if the case is real and you have proof and witnesses it should go well!
2007-01-22 23:57:56 · answer #3 · answered by CatLady 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they should pay that bill I hope when he went 2 the hospital he told them where he got hurt Hire a Lawyer he has a case they had no right Firing Him knowing that he got Hurt there.Good Luck
2007-01-22 23:49:37 · answer #4 · answered by sugarbdp1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He needs a lawyer!! first, to file for workers comp, then maybe he can file a products liability suit against the manufacturer of the steps. also, did he get fired from the newspaper company or another job? that sounds sort of actionable.
2007-01-23 07:06:05 · answer #5 · answered by njyogibear 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Can You Spell Attorney....Then look one up....Go After the Owner of the Docks/And Employer......Enough Said....Ask for a free consultation.
2007-01-22 23:52:36 · answer #6 · answered by BOBBIE 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think there's more to this story, you don't get hurt at work and then loose your job for nothing. He's either playing it to the hilt, looking for a freebe or was going to loose it anyhow.
2007-01-23 00:20:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you don't say whether you're in the states or not... if you're in the states, your husband should call the local office of the department of labor, and OSHA and then get a lawyer.
2007-01-22 23:49:53 · answer #8 · answered by blkrose65 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋