Fort Walton Beach Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Helping Injured Workers Exercise Their Legal Rights

Per Florida law, most employers must have workers’ compensation insurance to cover employees in the event of a workplace injury. If you have been injured at work, it is likely that you qualify to collect workers’ comp benefits. It is, however, not uncommon for employers and insurance agents to make the injured employee jump through hoops just to get the benefits they deserve, or worse, they deprive them of these benefits altogether.

At Michles & Booth, we have an attorney team that knows how to handle workers’ comp claims, including those complicated by a reluctant employer or insurance agent. With over 80 years of combined experience, we have helped countless workers across the state collect their full benefits. Our success has won us acclaim from Super Lawyers®, The National Trial Lawyers, the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, and others. With zero upfront costs, working with acclaimed lawyers, like ours at Michles & Booth, does not have to carry a financial burden. If your workers’ comp claim is unsuccessful, we won’t charge you a cent.

Call (850) 204-4144 today to talk to an experienced Fort Walton Beach workers’ comp attorney in a free consultation.

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Worker’s comp is a type of “no-fault” insurance coverage, which means it does not take into account who caused the injury; it only matters that the injury was sustained while on the clock and carrying out a work-related task. It is designed this way to ensure that employees have the financial support they need to recover from their injuries, even if they are to blame. Its design is also intended to protect employers from personal injury lawsuits—workers’ comp law prohibits employees from suing their employers in civil court, unless they caused intentional harm, such as in cases of sexual harassment.

What If a Third Party Caused My Injury?

You can sue a third party if they were responsible for your workplace injury. For example, if you fell off a ladder at work because it was defective, you may bring forth a legal claim against the manufacturer of that ladder. Likewise, if you were hit by another driver while out running a work errand, you may have grounds to sue that driver.

Types of Workers’ Comp Benefits

Your workers’ comp benefits will not reflect your full salary. Rather, insurance will cover a portion of your weekly wages through one or more of the following benefits:

• Medical benefits: You may collect this benefit to cover hospital bills, physical therapy, medical tests, and other medical expenses.
• Vocational rehabilitation: If you need to switch sectors due to your injury, these benefits may pay for vocational training and counseling to help you do so effectively.
• Temporary total disability benefits: If you must take time off work to heal from your injury, you may collect two-thirds of your average weekly wages through this benefit. Currently, there is a cap of $1,011 a week; the Bureau of Monitoring and Audit Statistics adjusts this cap each year for inflation. However, if your injury is very severe, you may recover up to 80% of your wages—without any cap.
• Permanent impairment benefits: Should your injury lead to long-term impairment, you may receive 75% of your temporary total disability benefits until your impairment subsides.
• Permanent total disability benefits: If your injury renders you permanently disabled and ends your professional career (meaning you cannot work in any field), you may be eligible to collect this benefit until age 75 or older.
• Death benefits: If a work injury resulted in the death of a loved one, you could recover two-thirds of that loved one’s weekly wages or up to $150,000. You may only collect these benefits if you were a dependent of the decedent, such as their spouse or child.

An employee must notify their employer of their injury within 30 days—the sooner, the better.

Consult a Fort Walton Beach Attorney

Our Fort Walton Beach office is staffed with legal professionals highly skilled in helping workers exercise their legal rights, including Attorney Brian Carter who is Board-Certified in Workers’ Compensation Law by the Florida Bar. Our team also includes investigators and a medical doctor to provide comprehensive counsel and to keep the cost of our award-winning legal services low. And remember, if we are unsuccessful in your claim, you won’t owe us a penny.

Contact Michles & Booth online today to book your complimentary consultation with a workers’ comp lawyer in Fort Walton Beach.