Iowa Third Party Claims for Work Injuries

What is the difference between a workers’ compensation claim and a third party negligence claim?

Workers compensation claims are against your employer and are intended to recover a portion of your wages and provide reimbursement for medical expenses related to your work injury. Workers compensation protects your employer from being sued for other damages in exchange for these benefits. Unfortunately, workers’ comp benefits do not cover all costs associated with an injury or the long term economic impacts, putting injured workers in a vulnerable position.

Third party claims are against someone other than your employer which may allow you to recover pain and suffering, lost wages, future wages, and other damages, which are not available through a workers’ compensation claim. Examples include suing a manufacturing company for faulty equipment that led to an injury at a construction work site or liability against a general contractor for maintaining unsafe electricity at a building that resulted in a worker getting hurt.

Few attorneys handle both of these types of claims which puts an additional burden on the injured worker and their family to assemble a legal team to get the compensation they need. If you have been injured at work, attorney John T. Hemminger can strategically handle both workers’ compensation cases and third party negligence claims to get the benefits you deserve. Contact our offices for help today.