Let’s say you’re a 10-year veteran of the construction industry and you’ve worked at some of Chicago’s biggest building projects. You knew your job was dangerous, but the pay was good, and it’s all you knew how to do. Nevertheless, three months ago a piece of debris fell on you from three stories up and it’s left you injured and you can’t do your job anymore.

Chicago hardhats know this story well. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you probably have a friend who was seriously hurt on the job. You might even know someone who died, but you probably never thought it would be you.

Workers’ compensation can help you through this difficult time

Fortunately, workers’ compensation benefits are there to help you through this difficult time. Depending on the nature and severity of your injuries, a successfully filed workers’ compensation claim could bring you the following benefits:

• Medical care: The medical benefits from workers’ compensation should pay for all of your doctors’ expenses stemming from your work-related injury. These benefits include compensation for emergency room fees, rehabilitation costs, the costs of in-home medical services and more.
• Replacement income: An injured worker who temporarily can’t work can request wage replacement benefits. These benefits will usually be two-thirds of your income, but the IRS doesn’t tax them, so they won’t be too far from your original level of pay. Even though it’s not 100 percent, replacement income from workers’ compensation will be your financial lifeline while recovering from your injuries.
• Permanent injuries or permanent disability: If your injuries are so severe that you’ll never be able to work again, you can seek permanent disability benefits. These may come as a lump-sum distribution or lifetime payments that keep you financially afloat.
• Retraining: If you can still work, but not in your old job due to injuries, and you need new training for your next career. Workers’ compensation may pay for these expenses.
• Survivors’ benefits: In the tragic case of a fatal accident, survivors can seek workers’ compensation benefits to help them through the difficult time following the loss of their loved ones.

Getting assistance from a workers’ compensation lawyer

A lot of injured workers can pursue their compensation claims on their own. However, with the help of a workers’ compensation lawyer, a Chicago hardhat can trust that he is seeking all of the benefits related to his construction accident injuries in the most appropriate fashion. Remember, if you can’t do your job anymore, you might qualify for retraining benefits to learn a new career. A workers’ compensation attorney will be exceptionally skilled at navigating what can sometimes turn into a complicated and difficult process.