Monroe Knee Injury Lawyer

Monroe Knee Injuries

Many injuries are painful and debilitating, but injuries affecting the joints are particularly frustrating. When a joint such as the knee sustains an injury, the victim will likely experience significantly diminished range of motion and flexibility while also enduring severe pain. In addition, many knee injuries pose long-term or permanent complications to victims, and some may require multiple rounds of surgery before the victim has any relief from their symptoms.

Legal Representation for Monroe, NC, Knee Injury Claims

If you or a loved one recently sustained a knee injury, it’s vital to assess the underlying cause of the injury and the resulting effects. When any other party bears fault for your recent knee injury, you have the right to seek accountability with a personal injury claim. If you sustained your knee injury at work, you could obtain workers’ compensation benefits that may assist with your recovery. Every knee injury claim is unique, and if you intend to pursue legal recourse for your recent knee injury, it’s essential to find legal counsel experienced with cases like yours.

The attorneys at Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler have a great deal of professional experience with knee injury claims. We understand how disruptive this type of injury can be to the victim’s life and the lives of their family. Whether your recent injury happened at work, in a car accident, or in another situation resulting from another party’s negligence, we can assist you in exploring your legal options for recovering your damages.

Benefits of Legal Counsel for Your Knee Injury Case

The fault for a recent knee injury might seem perfectly clear to you. However, you should not assume that you can manage a civil claim on your own while recovering from your injury. Working with an experienced Monroe knee injury attorney will allow you to focus on your recovery while your team of lawyers handles your case proceedings on your behalf. Instead of trying to meet court filing deadlines and other procedural demands of your case unassisted while managing your medical needs, experienced legal counsel can provide peace of mind and reassurance during a difficult time.

Your attorneys can not only handle your claim on your behalf while you recover but also increase the likelihood of maximizing your final case award in a personal injury claim. If you must file a workers’ compensation claim, your attorney will verify that the insurance carrier handles your claim in good faith, and you may have further legal actions beyond your workers’ compensation claim. An experienced Monroe knee injury lawyer will learn as much as possible about their client, assisting them in developing a cohesive legal strategy for their case.

Ultimately, most knee injury claims involve significant damages, and fault for a knee injury isn’t always immediately clear. In addition, some knee injuries occur in North Carolina workplaces, potentially calling safety standards and regulatory compliance into question. When the victim must navigate the workers’ compensation process before filing a related personal injury claim, this would be especially challenging without legal counsel. Hiring the right Monroe knee injury lawyer to handle your case makes it easier to confidently approach your claim. It has a tremendous impact on the outcome of your proceedings and the quality of your final recovery.

Commonly Reported Causes of Knee Injuries in North Carolina

Knee injuries happen in many ways, often unexpectedly. The determining factor as to whether you can start a civil claim for a knee injury is if someone else directly caused the injury from negligence or any form of intentional misconduct. A few of the most commonly cited causes of knee injury claims in North Carolina include:

• Motor vehicle accidents. Vehicle collisions continue to be a leading cause of accidental injuries and deaths in the United States annually. Distracted driving, speeding, and other negligence behind the wheel can easily lead to a severe knee injury and other injuries.
• Premises liability. If a property owner fails to address a known safety hazard on their property or otherwise contributes to a lawful visitor’s knee injury, they could face a premises liability claim from the victim.
• Dog attacks. Dogs are capable of causing painful bites, but they may also knock victims to the ground, potentially causing knee injuries and more. Therefore, North Carolina upholds a strict liability rule for dog owners whose pets injure others.
• Workplace accidents. Some people work in inherently dangerous fields like construction and manufacturing. When a workplace accident results in a knee injury, the victim has the right to claim workers’ compensation benefits to help them recover. However, some injured workers could have grounds to file additional legal actions that enhance their recoveries.

An experienced Monroe knee injury lawyer can help you determine your best options for recovering from a knee injury. Depending on where and how your injury occurred, you could have multiple options for securing compensation for your damages.

Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim for a Knee Injury in Monroe, NC

North Carolina’s workers’ compensation laws are among the country’s strictest, and virtually every employer is legally required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Therefore, when a knee injury or any other injury happens in the workplace, the injured worker should report the injury immediately so they can begin the workers’ compensation claim process. In an emergency, the victim can see any available doctor for treatment. However, they will eventually have to see a physician approved by their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier.

Almost every insurance company offering workers’ compensation coverage in North Carolina will require a claimant to undergo an examination from an approved local physician. This workers’ compensation doctor will review the claimant’s medical records and examine their injury to determine the extent of their disability. This doctor’s findings and the disability rating they assign to a claimant will determine the scope of coverage they receive from the insurance carrier. Disability ratings reflect the severity of workplace injuries and their likelihood of causing long-term or permanent complications for victims.

While the workers’ compensation claim process may seem simple enough at first, the reality is that many injured workers in North Carolina experience unforeseen complications with their claims. Mistakes in claim paperwork, late filings, and other issues can delay the insurance company’s processing of a claim. It’s also possible for the insurance carrier to deny a claim or demand supporting information the claimant may not know how to recover on their own. Ultimately, hiring a Monroe knee injury lawyer to assist you with your workers’ compensation claim can make the process much easier and increase your chances of securing a suitable claim determination from the insurance carrier.

In North Carolina, workers’ compensation benefits can be paid on a temporary or permanent basis depending on the severity of a claimant’s injury. If the claimant can work, but their injury reduces their earning power, they can secure partial disability benefits to help make up the difference in income. If they cannot perform any work whatsoever, they may qualify for total disability benefits. The ongoing disability benefits a claimant receives depend on the severity of their injury, but a workers’ compensation claimant can typically expect the insurance carrier to cover all of their medical treatment costs.

Building a Personal Injury Claim for Your Knee Injury

If your knee injury did not occur at work but happened because of the actions of another party, you likely have grounds to file a personal injury claim. While an injured worker can have the right to file a personal injury claim in tandem with a workers’ compensation claim, these cases are rare, and North Carolina’s workers’ compensation laws generally shield employers from liability when workers are injured on the job. However, there are exceptions to this, such as employers who do not have appropriate insurance coverage or who intentionally cause injuries to employees.

Whether you are filing a standalone personal injury claim or a third-party liability claim at the same time as you file your workers’ compensation case, it’s very important to have legal counsel that you can trust for this difficult process. Your complaint must identify the defendant or defendants you believe responsible for your knee injury, and it must also include a complete list of all the damages you intend to claim from the defendant. Additionally, you must be prepared to prove your claimed damages are strictly the results of the defendant’s actions and not some other cause.

Any personal injury case can involve innumerable variables. For example, if your knee injury occurred in a car accident, you will likely need to file an auto insurance claim against the at-fault driver’s policy as the first step toward recovery from your losses. In addition, you may need to obtain physical evidence to prove fault for the injury, or your case may hinge on eyewitness testimony from those who saw the incident in question occur. Whatever your personal injury claim may entail, you must have legal counsel that you can trust for the best chance to maximize your recovery.

Commonly Reported Knee Injury Complications

The knees are often taken for granted until the moment they become injured. The knees face daily stress from walking and other physical activities. Many people use their knees constantly when they must keep moving for work. Knees can not only sustain injuries from acute physical trauma but repetitive stress in the knees from work can also create problems over time.

When a traumatic accident like a car crash or serious fall causes a knee injury, the victim will likely need emergency medical care. A severe injury could necessitate surgery, and the rehabilitation process is more complex and painful than many realize. Initial recovery from a serious knee injury can be extremely difficult, and the victim may not be able to work for an extended time. Knee injuries also tend to cause long-term and permanent complications, such as diminished flexibility in the knee joint and chronic pain.

Workers’ compensation benefits are only available to those who sustain knee injuries at work. Auto insurance could offer some coverage if a knee injury happens in a car accident, but ultimately insurance of any kind is unlikely to cover the full cost of a serious knee injury. If your knee injury happened at work, Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler could assist you with the workers’ compensation claim process, and we will help you determine whether you can pursue additional legal recourse. A personal injury claim could provide more opportunities for recovery than your workers’ compensation claim if you can file one.

In North Carolina, most people who sustain injuries at work and claim workers’ compensation benefits cannot sue their employers for their injuries. However, it is possible to have grounds for a personal injury claim against a third party if someone outside your work caused your knee injury. It’s also possible to start a civil claim against your employer if they directly injured you intentionally, if your injury resulted from a known yet unaddressed workplace safety violation, or if they do not have workers’ compensation insurance.

Compensation for a Knee Injury in North Carolina

A workers’ compensation claim can yield compensation for medical expenses and a portion of the claimant’s missing income following a workplace knee injury. Still, these benefits are obtainable by those who sustained their injuries at work or while performing job duties. When you can file a personal injury claim with a workers’ compensation claim, you could enhance your recovery by claiming damages not available through the workers’ compensation system. In North Carolina, personal injury plaintiffs have the right to claim compensation for:

• Medical treatment costs, including those immediately following their injuries, as well as ongoing medical expenses for complex injuries. Workers’ compensation typically provides coverage to injured workers for all treatment needed to heal their injuries and manage their symptoms. Therefore, when a knee injury victim must file a personal injury claim, they must provide complete records of all the medical care required for their injury to hold the defendant fully accountable for these losses.
• Lost income. Workers’ compensation may provide some repayment of lost wages following a workplace injury, but most insurance carriers will only pay as much as two-thirds of the injured worker’s average weekly pay in ongoing disability benefits. When a knee injury victim must file a personal injury claim, whether on its own or attached to a workers’ compensation claim, they can seek compensation for any lost income workers’ compensation benefits won’t cover as well as compensation for their lost future earning capacity.
• Property losses. In the event the defendant’s actions also resulted in damage to the plaintiff’s property, they can include repair and replacement costs in their personal injury claim.
• Pain and suffering. North Carolina law lets the plaintiff in a personal injury case seek compensation for the physical pain and psychological suffering they experienced because of the way the defendant acted. Workers’ compensation does not compensate for pain and suffering, so the only way to secure non-economic damages for your knee injury is to pursue a personal injury claim against the party responsible for causing it. In addition, North Carolina does not limit the amount a plaintiff can seek in pain and suffering compensation, with the sole exception of medical malpractice claims.

Your Monroe knee injury lawyer can help you calculate the full scope of damages you can ask for in your personal injury case. Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler has a great deal of experience representing clients in third-party personal injury claims related to workers’ compensation claims as well as standalone personal injury cases. We understand the challenges that injured workers typically face in these situations and strive to guide our clients through their case proceedings as efficiently as possible.

What to Expect From Your Attorney

When you choose Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler to represent you in a knee injury case, you can expect personalized legal representation through every stage of the case. We like to learn each client’s unique story and address their individual concerns. We’ll help you determine whether workers’ compensation or other insurance coverage is a viable option for initial recovery before helping you address alternative measures for legal recourse.

An experienced Monroe knee injury lawyer will help their client gather whatever evidence they need to prove how their injury happened and who bears responsibility for causing it. Any civil claim involves various procedural issues, and the plaintiff needs to have legal counsel they can trust to meet these requirements for their claim. In addition, Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler can help our clients meet all court filing deadlines to ensure that administrative red tape does not impede their case.

Ultimately, you are not only more likely to succeed with a workers’ compensation claim and/or personal injury claim when you have legal representation advising you, but you are also more likely to maximize your recovery to the fullest extent possible under North Carolina law. Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler has the skill and resources you need on your side to maximize your recovery from a knee injury. Regardless of how your recent knee injury occurred or what damages you think you face, contact us today to learn more about your legal options in a consultation with a Monroe knee injury attorney.