Why Hire Roden Law After a Savannah Workplace Injury
Workers’ compensation is supposed to be simple: you get hurt at work, and benefits pay for your treatment and part of your lost wages. In practice, claims are delayed, benefits are cut off early, and injured workers are told they missed a deadline. Our Savannah lawyers handle the claim so you can focus on getting better.
- No fee unless we win. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing up front.
- A Georgia lawyer on your case. Your claim is handled under Georgia law by attorneys licensed here, from our office at 333 Commercial Drive.
- Deadlines tracked for you. Notice to your employer and the claim with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation each have their own deadline.
- Third-party claims found. If someone other than your employer caused the injury, a separate claim can recover what workers’ comp does not.
Where Savannah Workplace Injuries Happen
The port
Container and equipment work at Garden City Terminal produces crush, struck-by and fall injuries. Some port and maritime workers are covered by federal law instead of, or in addition to, Georgia workers’ compensation. See longshoreman injury claims.
Warehouses and distribution
The warehouse corridor around Pooler and I-16 produces lifting, forklift and loading-dock injuries. See the Pooler warehouse district.
Construction, manufacturing and hospitals
Falls, equipment accidents, repetitive strain and patient-lifting injuries fill out the rest. Repetitive strain and work-caused illness count too; see occupational disease claims.
Georgia Workers’ Compensation Rules
Two deadlines, not one
Give your employer notice of the injury right away, and no later than 30 days after it happens (O.C.G.A. § 34-9-80). The claim itself must be filed with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation within one year of the injury, or within one year of the last employer-furnished medical treatment, or two years from the last payment of weekly benefits (O.C.G.A. § 34-9-82). Telling your supervisor is not the same as filing a claim. See how the Georgia claim process works.
Choosing your doctor
Georgia employers generally must post a panel of physicians, and treating outside it without approval can cost you coverage. Ask for the panel in writing. See changing workers’ comp doctors in Georgia.
Fault usually does not matter
You do not have to prove your employer was careless. Benefits can be barred for an employee’s willful misconduct or for intoxication (O.C.G.A. § 34-9-17).
What workers’ comp pays
Weekly income benefits are capped at a maximum set by statute and adjusted periodically (O.C.G.A. § 34-9-261), so the current figure should be confirmed with the State Board before you rely on it. See whether Georgia workers’ comp benefits are taxable.
You usually cannot sue your employer, but you may be able to sue someone else
Workers’ compensation is generally your exclusive remedy against your employer: no lawsuit and no pain-and-suffering or punitive damages from the employer (O.C.G.A. § 34-9-11). A claim against a third party, such as a negligent driver or the maker of a defective machine, is separate. See third-party workplace injury claims.
If your claim has been denied, see denied workers’ comp claims and appealing a denial.
