What Is a Workers' Compensation Case?

Boeing's North Charleston 787 Dreamliner plant employs nearly 7,000 workers in manufacturing, assembly, and supply chain roles. Workplace injuries in aerospace manufacturing require specialized legal representation. Free consultation at Roden Law.

— Reviewed by Graeham C. Gillin, Partner, COO at Roden Law

Boeing & Aerospace Worker Injury Lawyers — North Charleston, SC

Boeing South Carolina’s North Charleston campus is one of the Lowcountry’s largest employers, with nearly 7,000 workers and contractors assembling the 787 Dreamliner in a 1.2-million-square-foot facility. The aerospace manufacturing environment — with heavy machinery, composite materials, chemical exposure, elevated work platforms, and repetitive assembly tasks — creates significant injury risks that differ from typical workplace accidents.

Roden Law’s North Charleston office represents Boeing workers and aerospace contractors injured on the job. We handle both workers’ compensation claims and third-party personal injury cases that arise from workplace injuries.

Common Boeing & Aerospace Workplace Injuries

  • Repetitive strain injuries: Assembly line work requiring repetitive motions — drilling, riveting, fastening — causes carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, rotator cuff tears, and other musculoskeletal disorders
  • Chemical exposure: Composite manufacturing involves epoxy resins, carbon fiber dust, solvents, and sealants that cause respiratory disease, chemical burns, and skin sensitization
  • Falls from height: Work on aircraft fuselage sections, scaffolding, and elevated platforms creates fall risks. A fall from even 6-10 feet onto a concrete manufacturing floor produces serious injuries
  • Struck-by injuries: Heavy fuselage sections, tooling, and components moving through the facility on cranes and automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
  • Electrical injuries: High-voltage systems in testing and manufacturing environments
  • Hearing loss: Sustained exposure to manufacturing noise — riveting, drilling, machinery — without adequate hearing protection
  • Heat stress: Working in enclosed fuselage sections during summer without adequate ventilation

Workers’ Compensation vs. Third-Party Claims

If you’re injured working at Boeing, you likely have a workers’ compensation claim — but you may also have a more valuable third-party personal injury claim:

Workers’ Compensation (Against Your Employer)

  • Covers medical expenses and partial lost wages (66.67% of average weekly wage in SC)
  • No-fault system — you don’t need to prove negligence
  • Cannot recover pain and suffering damages
  • Filed through the SC Workers’ Compensation Commission

Third-Party Personal Injury Claims

If someone other than your employer caused or contributed to your injury, you may file a separate personal injury lawsuit for full damages including pain and suffering. Common third-party defendants in Boeing injuries:

  • Equipment manufacturers: Defective tools, machinery, or safety equipment that failed
  • Subcontractors: Other companies working on-site whose negligence caused your injury
  • Chemical manufacturers: Manufacturers of toxic substances used in the manufacturing process
  • Property owners: If the injury occurred in a building or area not owned by Boeing
  • Vehicle drivers: If you were injured in a vehicle crash on company property or during work-related travel

Boeing-Specific Issues

  • Contractor vs. employee status: Many Boeing workers are employed through staffing agencies or subcontractors. Your employment classification affects which workers’ comp system covers you and which third-party claims are available.
  • OSHA compliance: Boeing facilities must comply with OSHA standards. Documented OSHA violations strengthen both workers’ comp and third-party claims.
  • Reporting requirements: Report injuries to your supervisor immediately. South Carolina requires written notice to the employer within 90 days (S.C. Code § 42-15-20).
  • Retaliation protection: South Carolina law prohibits termination or retaliation for filing a legitimate workers’ compensation claim.

Filing Deadlines

  • Workers’ comp: Notice to employer within 90 days; claim filed within 2 years of injury (S.C. Code § 42-15-40)
  • Third-party personal injury: 3 years from date of injury (S.C. Code § 15-3-530)
  • Occupational disease: 2 years from the date you knew or should have known the disease was work-related

Free Consultation

Roden Law evaluates Boeing workplace injuries for both workers’ comp and third-party claims at no cost. Call (843) 612-6561 or visit our North Charleston office on Spruill Avenue — just minutes from the Boeing campus.

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What to Do After a Workplace Injury

  1. Report the injury to your employer. Notify a supervisor or HR in writing within 90 days of the injury (S.C. Code § 42-15-20). This is the deadline injured workers miss most often, and missing it can bar your claim entirely.
  2. Get medical care from an authorized physician. Your employer should post a panel of physicians. Treating outside that panel without approval can leave you responsible for the bills and give the insurer a reason to dispute your claim — ask for the panel before you choose a doctor, except in an emergency.
  3. Ask for the posted panel of physicians in writing. If your employer has no valid posted panel, or refuses to provide it, you may be entitled to choose your own treating doctor. Keep a copy of the request.
  4. Document the injury and the conditions that caused it. Photograph the equipment, work area, and any hazard. Note who witnessed the incident and what you reported, to whom, and when. Keep copies of every form you sign.
  5. File your claim before the deadline. Reporting the injury to your employer is not the same as filing a claim. File with the S.C. Workers' Compensation Commission (Form 50) — 2 years from the date of injury (S.C. Code § 42-15-40).
  6. Do not give a recorded statement without advice. The insurance adjuster works for your employer's carrier, not for you. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney.
  7. Ask whether you also have a third-party claim. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering. If someone other than your employer contributed to the injury — a negligent driver, a contractor on site, or a defective machine's manufacturer — a separate claim may recover damages comp cannot. Roden Law offers free consultations.

Proving Your Boeing & Aerospace Worker Injury Case

Workers' compensation is a no-fault system. You do not have to prove your employer did anything wrong — you have to show the injury arose out of and in the course of your employment, and that you met the notice and filing deadlines.

01

Covered Employment

You were an employee of a business required to carry workers' compensation coverage. Independent contractors are treated differently, and misclassification is common.

02

Arising Out of Employment

The injury was connected to what your job required you to do — a sudden accident, or a condition that developed over time such as repetitive stress or occupational disease.

03

In the Course of Employment

The injury happened while you were working or doing something reasonably incidental to your work. Disputes here often decide the claim.

04

Timely Notice and Filing

You reported the injury to your employer within the statutory notice period and filed with the state board before the deadline. Both are strict, and both are separate steps.

Compensation Available in Boeing & Aerospace Worker Injury Cases

Workers' compensation pays a defined set of statutory benefits. It does not pay for pain and suffering, and the wage benefits are capped by statute — which is why a separate third-party claim matters when someone other than your employer contributed to the injury.

Workers' Compensation Benefits

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Lost wages or income
  • Loss of earning capacity
  • Property damage and repair/replacement
  • Cost of rehabilitation and physical therapy
  • Assistive medical equipment
  • Cost of long-term or lifelong care

Only Through a Third-Party Claim

  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental and emotional distress
  • Loss of companionship (spouse/family)
  • Disability and disfigurement
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Humiliation or loss of reputation

These are unavailable through workers' compensation. They require a claim against a party other than your employer.

Filing Deadlines for Boeing & Aerospace Worker Injury Claims

Workers' compensation runs on its own deadlines, separate from the personal injury statute of limitations. You must also report the injury to your employer well before the filing deadline — that notice period is much shorter. In South Carolina, you have 2 years (S.C. Code § 42-15-40). Missing this deadline permanently bars your claim.

🌙 South Carolina Filing Deadline 2 Years S.C. Code § 42-15-40 Notify your employer within 90 days of the injury (S.C. Code § 42-15-20)

If you fail to file within the statute of limitations, your claim will be dismissed and you will permanently lose the right to pursue compensation.

What If the Accident Was My Fault?

Workers' compensation is a no-fault system. Carelessness on your part does not reduce your benefits and does not bar the claim — you do not have to prove anyone was negligent, and your employer does not get to argue you were. Benefits can be denied in narrow circumstances, such as an injury caused by intoxication or by a wilful attempt to injure yourself or someone else, but ordinary mistakes on the job are not among them.

Fault does matter in one place: a third-party claim against someone other than your employer. There, the ordinary comparative-fault rules apply and your share of responsibility can reduce what you recover — another reason to have those claims evaluated early.

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Roden Law Boeing & Aerospace Worker Injury Lawyers Results at a Glance

$300M+ Recovered for injured clients across Georgia and South Carolina
4.9 / 5.0 Average client rating across hundreds of verified Google reviews from our six offices
5,000+ Cases successfully handled since 2013
62 years Combined attorney experience across 5 office locations

Source: Roden Law firm records and verified Google Business Profile reviews, updated July 2026.

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Results shown are gross settlement/verdict amounts before fees and costs. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

About the Author

Graeham C. Gillin, Partner, COO at Roden Law

Graeham C. Gillin

Partner, COO South Carolina Bar Association

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Our Boeing & Aerospace Worker Injury Lawyers Today

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