A work accident in Studio City, California, has resulted in a construction worker being killed when the trench he was working in collapsed. It is unclear at this time what caused the Studio City work accident death.
When an employee is injured on the job, he or she is usually entitled to California workers’ compensation benefits, which California employers are lawfully required to for. According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, workers’ compensation provides for six basic benefits: medical care, temporary disability benefits, permanent disability benefits, supplemental job displacement benefits or vocational rehabilitation and death benefits.
Occasionally, an injured worker will have both a workers’ compensation claim as well as a personal injury claim against the responsible party or entity that caused the injury. While workers’ compensation is designed so that fault for the injury does not need to be proved, the personal injury claim depends on who carries the fault, or liability.
If the driver of a big rig truck is injured in a car accident in California, the driver will usually have a workers’ compensation claim against his employer’s workers’ compensation coverage. However, if the accident was caused by the other driver, the injured truck driver may also make a personal injury claim against the responsible party.
In situations like this, it is usually beneficial for the injured worker to have a workers’ compensation attorney and a personal injury attorney who can work together and share information to maximize the financial recovery for all injuries and damages.
Frequently, in this situation, our office handles the Los Angeles personal injury claim, while a workers’ compensation attorney handles the workers’ compensation claim. If you have been injured on the job, call our office right away so that we can advise you of your rights and go over all available claims with you.