Philadelphia Workplace Accident Lawyers

Injured at Work? You May Have More Than a Workers’ Comp Claim

Workers’ compensation provides important but limited benefits, and it generally does not pay for your pain and suffering or your full lost earnings. What many workers do not realize is that a separate, third-party injury claim may be available on top of comp when someone other than your employer helped cause the accident. Identifying that third party is frequently the difference between a modest recovery and a full one.

Workers’ Compensation vs. Third-Party Injury Claims

In most cases you cannot sue your direct employer, because workers’ comp is the exclusive remedy against them. But a subcontractor, a property owner, an equipment manufacturer, or another contractor on site can be held fully accountable in a personal injury lawsuit. That third-party claim can recover the pain, suffering, and complete wage loss that comp leaves on the table — and you can pursue it while still collecting your comp benefits.

Common Workplace Accidents We Handle

We represent workers hurt by falls, defective or unguarded machinery, forklifts and heavy equipment, falling objects, electrocutions, explosions and burns, toxic exposure, and repetitive-stress injuries — across construction sites, warehouses, factories, refineries, docks, and other job sites.

What to Do After a Workplace Injury

Report the injury to your employer right away — Pennsylvania allows up to 120 days, but sooner is always better — and get medical care. Then preserve what you can: photographs, the equipment involved, and the names of witnesses. Before giving any recorded statement to an insurer, talk with an attorney, because evidence at a busy job site can be repaired or discarded quickly.

Serving Philadelphia and New Jersey

From our offices in South Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, and Sewell, New Jersey, we represent injured people throughout the Philadelphia region and across New Jersey — with a special focus on South Jersey, from the Delaware River communities all the way to the Jersey Shore.

Helpful resources: Benefits in Pennsylvania are governed by the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. New Jersey claims fall under the state’s Workers’ Compensation law, N.J.S.A. 34:15-1 et seq., handled by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Job-site safety standards are set and enforced by OSHA, and an OSHA violation can be powerful evidence in a third-party case. Because the exclusive-remedy rule and the statutory employer defense can bar some claims, have a lawyer review who is actually liable for your injury.

Frequently Asked Questions