Oakland Legal Issues Blog

There is no question that a work-related injury or an injury suffered while on the job can be damaging to a California resident's life. Aside from the physical pain that they may experience as a result of their harm, they may also suffer financial loss, as they take time off from work to recover and heal. Workplace accidents and injuries should not happen when workers have the proper resources from their employers, and when these preventable forms of loss occur, it is often the responsibility of employers to make their employees whole.

Workers' compensation is a form of financial support a worker may seek when they suffer a workplace injury. This compensation takes the place of litigation and often releases employers from further legal liability for their employees' harm. In order to seek workers' compensation, a worker should first report their injury as soon as possible to their employer.

A serious personal injury can change the course of a California resident's life. It may prevent them from returning to work or from enjoying the life that they built with their loved ones. It may cause them and their dependents to experience significant financial hardship if they are forced to pay out of pocket for the losses they incurred due to another party's negligence.

One way that individuals can work to recover their losses after such a tragedy is by filing a lawsuit against the party or parties that caused their harm. Litigation is the process of presenting a claim, offering facts and evidence to prove it and overcoming defenses to prevail in court. When a person wins their case through litigation they may be awarded damages based on the losses that they were able to prove.

Serious workplace injuries could keep a worker in Oakland away from their job for a significant amount of time. Sometimes a person's injury causes them to have to stop working entirely. These career-ending injuries can have a significant financial impact on those who suffer from them.

Each year, the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index identifies the top causes of injuries in the workplace. In 2019, the following injuries were most costly: overexertion due to outside sources; falls on the same level; being hit by an object; falls to a lower level; other exertions; motor vehicle accidents; slipping or tripping but not falling; being caught in equipment; repetitive motion injuries and being struck against an object.

Blue collar workers typically work with their hands. Whether you work in a factory or at construction sites, you are likely gripping, manipulating, lifting and turning items all day with your hands. In a sense, your hands are the most important tools you have, and you rely on their strength and dexterity to get each important job you do done right.

The experience that you have working with your hands could mean that you fill a very skilled job role, such as that of a pipefitter. Over many years of hard work, you can come to demand a very reasonable hourly wage through skilled manual labor.