Workers’ compensation benefits are often vital for victims who are recovering from serious workplace accidents. However, your situation might be a little different. While your workplace injury likely qualifies you for workers’ comp, you might also be able to hold a third party responsible for what happened to you.
What is a third party claim?
In North Carolina, your employer is responsible for your safety in the workplace, which is why you can access workers’ compensation benefits when you are injured at work. Workplace accidents are complicated, though, and there may be times when another party might also have contributed to workers’ injuries. This is when third party responsibility comes into play. Examples of third party responsibility include:
- Faulty machinery
- Defective tools
- Subcontractors not following safety rules
Workers’ compensation benefits really only cover economic damages, which involves things like medical bills and lost wages. These benefits do not cover anything related to noneconomic damages, such as emotional trauma, long lasting pain or any inconvenience to your future. You can seek these damages with a third party claim though, which is most often accomplished through a personal injury claim.
Successfully navigating a personal injury suit for a workplace injury can be difficult though. Third party offenders are often quick to blame the work environment and claim that they had no role in any injuries. While this can be frustrating, it is not impossible to assert your own side of things. You can learn more about doing so, North Carolina workers’ compensation law and making third party claims by visiting our website.